Department for Transport

Blue Badge Scheme: Reciprocal Arrangements

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on negotiations with (a) his Spanish counterpart and (b) his counterparts in other EU states that do not have reciprocity arrangements to allow blue badge holders to use their UK issued blue badge while travelling.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government remains committed to confirming the status of UK issued Blue Badges for visiting motorists, and continues to engage in discussions with a number of countries, including Spain. We cannot comment in detail on these discussions at this stage. The list of countries who have confirmed their position is available on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-using-it-in-the-eu/using-a-blue-badge-in-the-european-union

Railway Stations: Visual Impairment

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of stations have tactile paving on platforms; what plans he has to increase the number of platforms with tactile paving; and what the challenges are in installing tactile paving in older stations.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Network Rail estimate that around 60 percent of British mainline station platforms are fitted with tactile surfaces. We are committed to making this 100 percent and Network Rail has received an initial £10 million to install tactile paving at priority stations not already funded. I will make further announcements on future rounds of funding in due course. I am confident in the industry’s ability to deliver the programme.

GMB

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his oral contribution of 4 November 2021, Official Report, Column 1047, what the basis is for his statement that the GMB union supports (a) stopping people from flying, or allowing them to go on holiday only once every five years and (b) preventing people from using their cars.

Robert Courts: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State mis-spoke during Transport Questions. What he meant to say was that the plan that Labour is proposing - to stop people from flying, or to allow them to go on holiday only once every five years, and to prevent them from using their cars - is opposed by the GMB union, who usually support them.

Travel: Coronavirus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to engage with carriers that refuse refunds for customers who were not legally allowed to fly during lockdown.

Robert Courts: Throughout the pandemic the government has made clear that it expects the aviation industry to act fairly and flexibly, and the industry have responded with increased flexibility for their customers. Having engaged with industry we published the Passenger COVID-19 Charter in May 2021. It provides advice on the rights, responsibilities and reasonable expectations of consumers, when booking and travelling during the pandemic.The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reviewed airlines’ compliance on refunds in summer 2020 and worked collaboratively to improve their performance on consumer obligations. The majority of airlines now pay refunds within 7 days. The CAA regulates the compliance of airlines with aviation consumer law.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Licences

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling holders of licences for passenger carrying vehicles to drive large goods vehicles of a similar size, including after completing an additional module.

Trudy Harrison: The regulations require drivers of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) to pass the relevant theory and practical tests applicable to that type of vehicle. Whilst there are some similarities in driving passenger carrying vehicles, it is an important part of maintaining road safety standards that HGV drivers have undergone the appropriate training and passed the different tests to drive safely.

Driving Licences

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) delays in the processing of applications by the DVLA and (b) the underlying causes of those delays.

Trudy Harrison: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days. However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application for a driving licence. The latest information on DVLA services and the turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.The DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham to help reduce waiting times while providing future resilience and business continuity.The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day and has also been working with a significantly reduced number of staff on site to ensure social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements. Industrial action between April and September by members of the Public and Commercial Services union has also led to delays for customers.

Aviation: Alternative Fuels

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the £180 million funding for the development of alternative aviation fuel plants in the Net Zero Strategy, what that funding will be spent on; which companies will receive that funding; and whether receipt of that funding will be linked to, or be conditional on, achieving systems-level emissions reductions from aviation.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the £180 million funding for the development of alternative aviation fuel plants announced in the Net Zero Strategy, what assessment his Department made of the potential merits of requiring the aviation industry to (a) fund, (b) match-fund and (c) partly fund the development of alternative fuels; and what meetings officials in his Department have had with recipients of that funding over the last 12 months.

Robert Courts: The £180m funding announced in the Net Zero Strategy, to help accelerate the commercialisation of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the UK, includes £168m of funding for a multi-year competition for funding to produce advanced fuels suitable for aviation and heavy goods vehicles. A further £12m is allocated for the continuation of our SAF clearing house project to accelerate new SAF to the market. SAF is a vital tool in decarbonising aviation and helping the UK reach our net zero goals by 2050.The department is now developing the eligibility criteria of the new SAF competition, building upon the progress made by, and lessons learnt from, the previous advanced fuels competitions, namely the Advanced Biofuel Demonstration Competition (ABDC), the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition (F4C) and the recent Green Fuels, Green Skies (GFGS) competition. As with the previous successful competitions, the design process will utilise the knowledge and experience of the wider sector, working with existing and prospective SAF producers. It is likely that minimum greenhouse gas savings will be a requirement of receiving funding. Funding will be allocated competitively in line with previous competitions.No assessment has yet been made as to the balance of funding between industry and Government for the new competition.DfT officials engage regularly with all the projects eligible for government funding, both through bilateral meetings and as part of regular industry engagement activities. Since its launch in November 2020, over 25 meetings of the Jet Zero Council SAF Delivery Group and its subgroups have been convened.

Shipping: Carbon Emissions

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of the £300 million investment identified in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 for the extension of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition and HGV technology trials will be made available specifically to the maritime sector.

Robert Courts: DfT received £300m for R&D initiatives to help commercialise low and zero emission technologies. The Department will shortly commence a prioritisation process to allocate this funding across different programmes, including maritime. The outcome will be shared in due course.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Licences

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure a sufficient number of DVLA staff to process driving licence renewal and HGV applications.

Trudy Harrison: During October the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) was able to focus extra resource on vocational driving licence applications to support the HGV driver shortage. This has been successful with routine vocational applications now back to normal turnaround times.The DVLA’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to make an application. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days. However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application. The latest information on turnaround times for paper applications can be found here.The DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham to help reduce waiting times while providing future resilience and business continuity.

Driving Licences

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on reducing the backlog in licence applications at the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency.

Trudy Harrison: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to make an application. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days. However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application. The latest information on turnaround times for paper applications can be found here.The DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working, and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham to help reduce waiting times while providing future resilience and business continuity.Work is ongoing to reduce the backlog of paper applications. There has been a particular focus on vocational driving licence applications to support the HGV driver shortage. This has been successful with routine vocational applications now back to normal turnaround times.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Iron and Steel

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using Sheffield and Rotherham steel in the construction of HS2.

Andrew Stephenson: HS2 Ltd has engaged extensively with the British steel industry over the last five years, including organisations with facilities in Sheffield and Rotherham. HS2 Ltd hold 'Meet the Contractor' events for potential suppliers regularly and I would encourage businesses across Sheffield and Rotherham to sign-up to one of these events.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Iron and Steel

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason steel sourced from outside the UK is being used in the construction of HS2.

Andrew Stephenson: Across the HS2 project, all procurement is conducted fairly, equally and transparently and does not discriminate on the basis of location, in line with UK public procurement law.Procurement of steel is generally undertaken by Tier 3 or 4 suppliers to HS2, rather than by HS2 Ltd directly. On occasion, it may be necessary to procure non-UK steel either to ensure value for money for UK taxpayers or to maintain the agreed HS2 programme.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Iron and Steel

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the national provenance of the steel used in the construction of HS2.

Andrew Stephenson: HS2 Ltd’s steel procurement data are published yearly by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.HS2 Ltd. works extensively with the British steel industry to ensure it is in the best position to compete for contracts to build Britain’s new high speed rail network. For example, 28 of the 29 reinforcement fabrication contracts have been awarded to UK-based companies.

Biofuels

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government carried out comparative fuel economy trials for the change from E5 unleaded petrol to E10; and if he will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: Comparative fuel economy trials were not commissioned by the Department.

West Midlands Rail Franchise: Shropshire

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of cancellations of West Midlands Railway trains travelling in and out of Shropshire.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department oversees the delivery of the West Midlands National Rail Contract (NRC) in conjunction with the West Midlands Railway Executive (WMRE), a consortium of 14 local authorities.The Department and WMRE monitor the performance of West Midlands Trains (WMT) against its obligations on a four weekly basis and meets with WMT regularly (both formally and informally) to discuss these matters.It is disappointing that the number of traincrew related cancellations on routes within the West Midlands has increased since the start of October and the Department and WMRE are closely monitoring the steps WMT are taking to address the performance problems, and, if appropriate, will be using the full range of remedies available under the NRC.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the (a) cost and (b) disruption of (i) phase 2b of HS2, (ii) the revival of the Great Central Main Line and (iii) other alternatives to phase 2b of HS2 in the north of England.

Andrew Stephenson: The most recent cost estimate for HS2 Phase 2b, which includes the cost of disruption, is set out in the HS2 6-monthly report to Parliament: March 2021. The Government expects to set out more fully the costs of Phase 2b in the IRP and when it brings forward a hybrid Bill for the Western Leg of Phase 2b. Whist recent work has not considered the revival of the Great Central Main Line as an alternative to HS2 Phase 2b, we have assessed a range of alternatives to the scheme throughout its development, with the most recent assessment by Atkins published in 2016. The government intends to update the strategic alternatives to phase 2b when it brings forward a hybrid Bill for the Western Leg of Phase 2b.

Hammersmith Bridge

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the recent progress of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce.

Trudy Harrison: The Government remains committed to supporting the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) in finding a long-term solution for Hammersmith Bridge. The Department for Transport, Transport for London and LBHF must first scrutinise and agree the necessary business cases which are being developed by the borough and are not yet complete.

Imports: Brexit

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to Answer of 29 October 2021 to Question 63799 on Imports, what assessment has he made of the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union on haulage industry staffing.

Trudy Harrison: Countries across Europe and globally are facing similar HGV driver shortages. The Government is therefore focusing on developing UK-based talent as the enduring solution to the HGV driver shortage which will secure the future of the workforce.We have taken decisive action to address the acute driver shortage, with 30 specific measures taken by the Government already. We are seeing results with 1,350 more haulier tests available a week from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

Leamside Railway Line

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the feasibility of expanding (a) rail and (b) light rail services on the former Leamside railway line.

Chris Heaton-Harris: In January 2020 the Government pledged £500 million for the Restoring Your Railway programme to deliver on our manifesto commitment to start reopening lines and stations. The bid for the Leamside Line to the third round of the Ideas Fund was unsuccessful. My Officials have provided feedback on the scheme and advice on alternative funding routes to the Hon Member and her colleagues.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to conclusion 23 of the Oakervee Review, what recent steps have been taken to reduce the specifications of HS2 Phase One.

Andrew Stephenson: The Oakervee Review concluded that the scope of Phase One should be continually reviewed, within the limits of the Phase One Act powers. The Department continues to review its requirements for the railway and considers changes where there is a value-for-money case, within the scope of these powers.For example, at Euston Station, following a review, the Department has recently confirmed the decision to move to a less complex, more efficient design of the station that continues to support the full HS2 service planned.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Buckinghamshire

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new jobs the construction of HS2 Phase 1 has created in Buckinghamshire.

Andrew Stephenson: Figures provided by HS2 Ltd covering July to September 2021 show that 7,237 full-time equivalent jobs are supported by contractors working on the route from the Colne Valley to Southam.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Licences

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 October 2021 on Motor Vehicle Driving Licences, HCWS311, if he will publish (a) details of the 25 measures taken to reduce the impact of the shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers on the people of Britain and (b) his plans to monitor the effectiveness of those measures.

Trudy Harrison: Following 18 October, the Government announced a further five measures to address the impacts of the heavy goods vehicle driver shortage and published details of the 30 measures on 10 November on the GOV.UK website. To monitor the effectiveness of measures, we continually examine key metrics of performance and engage with industry and across Government where appropriate.

Hammersmith Bridge

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the level of Government funding for the restoration of Hammersmith Bridge will be agreed.

Trudy Harrison: The Government remains committed to supporting the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) in up to one third of the costs of the project. However, the Government cannot commit specific sums of money until LBHF completes and submits a business case, clearly setting out the engineering options and their costs, for each stage of the repairs. These business cases, which must conform to the Government’s Green Book standards, are under development by LBHF and the Government eagerly awaits their completion.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Wave Power: Expenditure

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much public funding has his Department allocated to the development of wave electricity generation in each year since 2010.

Greg Hands: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Tidal Power: Expenditure

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much public funding has his Department allocated to the development of tidal stream technology in each year since 2010.

Greg Hands: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Russia: Natural Gas

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on reducing reliance on Russian gas imports.

Greg Hands: The UK is in no way dependent on Russian gas – less than 3% of the UK’s gas was sourced from Russia in 2020. The UK meets around half of its annual gas supply through domestic production, and the vast majority of imports come from reliable suppliers such as Norway. There are no gas pipelines directly linking the UK with Russia.

Mathematics: Investment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the press release of 27 January 2020, if he will publish details of (a) the actual expenditure of the £300 million investment in mathematical sciences as of 9 November 2021 and (b) his (i) plans for how the remaining funds will be spent and (ii) timetable for that expenditure.

George Freeman: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Stonewall

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2021 to Question 61054 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Stonewall, for what reason that Answer did not include the £1,295 +VAT paid by his Department for staff attendance at Stonewall Leadership Programme in 2020 as per an FOI response in April 2021, reference FOI2021/04447; and whether other funding by his Department to Stonewall was omitted in that Answer.

George Freeman: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fireworks: Standards

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress (a) her Department and (b) the Office for Product Safety and Standards have made on assessing the potential merits low noise fireworks.

Paul Scully: In response to issues raised around noise and disturbance, the Office for Product Safety and Standards commissioned research to test the decibel level of commonly used fireworks. The objective of the testing work is to help us understand the decibel level associated with a range of fireworks and whether they are compliant with the regulations. The testing work was delayed due to covid impacting the laboratory’s ability to carry out the necessary testing, but the results will be available in due course.

Self-employed: Adoption

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason there is different (a) maternity and (b) adoption financial support for the self-employed; and what steps he plans to take to help ensure that the self-employed are supported during the process of adoption.

Paul Scully: Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) forms part of a package of employment rights and protections available specifically to the employed. These rights do not extend to the self-employed because of the difference in the nature of the employment. If you are self-employed and expecting, you can apply for Maternity Allowance which is designed for the flexible nature of self-employment and will support you to take a break from your business prior to, and after, giving birth. The Government recognises that it is crucial to the success of an adoption placement that an adopter takes time off work to care for and bond with their child. So far, the Government has focused on supporting employed parents as they do not generally have the same level of flexibility and autonomy over how and when they work as self-employed parents do. Statutory adoption guidance says that Local Authorities should consider making a payment - equivalent to Maternity Allowance - in cases where adopters do not qualify for any statutory payment because of their self-employment.

Clean Steel Fund

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the Clean Steel Fund is allocated before 2023, in response to successful developments of hydrogen-based steelmaking projects in Sweden and Germany.

Lee Rowley: The Department announced the £250 million Clean Steel Fund in 2019 to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through adoption of new technologies and processes. We are working with the sector to understand their decarbonisation plans, whether it is electric arc, industrial carbon capture equipment attached to existing blast furnaces, or other emerging technologies, such as hydrogen. Based on previous evidence, complex decarbonisation projects have long lead-in times and take time to set up. In its response to the Call for Evidence on the Clean Steel Fund, the steel industry indicated a preference for the fund to start in 2023. We have set up the Industrial Decarbonisation and Hydrogen Revenue Support (IDHRS) scheme to fund our new hydrogen and industrial carbon capture business models. We will be providing up to £140 million of taxpayer funds will be made available to establish the scheme, including up to £100 million to award contracts of up to 250MW of electrolytic hydrogen production capacity in 2023 with further allocation in 2024. The scheme will be open to businesses across industry, including steel companies.

Iron and Steel: Hydrogen

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to facilitate a pilot for hydrogen-based steelmaking in the UK.

Lee Rowley: We are working closely with the UK Steel Council to explore decarbonisation pathways – including electric arc, industrial carbon capture equipment attached to existing blast furnaces, or other emerging technologies, such as hydrogen. The ideal decarbonisation pathway for individual sites is based on multiple factors and the Government is working closely with companies to support them as they make commercial decisions on the optimum route. We have set up the Industrial Decarbonisation and Hydrogen Revenue Support (IDHRS) scheme to fund our new hydrogen and industrial carbon capture business models. We will be providing up to £140 million of taxpayer funds will be made available to establish the scheme, including up to £100 million to award contracts of up to 250MW of electrolytic hydrogen production capacity in 2023 with further allocation in 2024. The scheme will be open to businesses across industry, including steel companies.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 1.38 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, what services will be procured from the £1.7 billion allocated to enabling a large-scale nuclear plant to achieve a final investment decision this Parliament.

Greg Hands: The 2020 Energy White Paper sets out the Government’s commitment to bring at least one large-scale nuclear project to a final investment decision (FID) this Parliament, subject to clear value for money and all relevant approvals. In order to enable a FID, the Government announced up to £1.7 billion funding in the Spending Review 2021. This funding would continue the development of the Sizewell C project. It is not a final decision on the project itself, which will be made subject to the success of ongoing commercial negotiations, further assessments and all necessary approvals.

Electricity Generation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions officials in his Department have had with Ofgem on the balance of reactive power in the UK’s electricity grid (a) as of 9 November 2021 and (b) in the future.

Greg Hands: Managing reactive power services is the responsibility of National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO). NGESO instructs generators or other asset owners to either absorb or generate reactive power. NGESO periodically updates BEIS and Ofgem on this as part of our regular schedule of engagement to understand electricity system operability matters. NGESO will publish its annual Operability Strategy Report by the end of the year, which considers system needs such as reactive power and how these needs will be met in the future.

Nuclear Power: Finance

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish details of (a) spending on the development of nuclear energy projects since 2010 and (b) funding streams that are available for the development of nuclear energy projects as of 9 November 2021.

Greg Hands: Since 2008 the policy framework for the development of new nuclear projects has been designed to support private developers to fund projects. It was on this basis that the Government gave the go-ahead to Hinkley Point C in 2016, which is funded by EDF, CGN and their investment partners. For projects after Hinkley, the Government has been considering options for providing direct funding. The Spending Review announced up to £1.7bn to support large-scale nuclear this Parliament alongside a new £120m Future Nuclear Enabling Fund, further details on which will be announced in due course. On 9 November, the Government announced £210m for Rolls-Royce’s SMR design, which forms part of the £385m Advanced Nuclear Fund set out in the Energy White Paper.

Offshore Industry

Jerome Mayhew: What steps his Department is taking to introduce a regulated asset base for the offshore grid.

Greg Hands: Our Net Zero Strategy delivers more offshore wind with a more coordinated offshore grid, through the Offshore Transmission Network Review. Within this, Ofgem have consulted on options for delivery models for offshore connections, including a regulated asset base approach.

Small Businesses: Harlow

Robert Halfon: What steps he will take to support small businesses in Harlow.

Paul Scully: Businesses in Harlow will continue to benefit from a range of government programmes, including start up loans and support delivered through the Essex Growth Hub. Additionally, the £23.7m Harlow Town Deal will encourage new business investment into the town.

Low Pay

James Grundy: What steps he is taking to increase pay for low-paid workers.

Paul Scully: In April 2022, we will increase the National Living Wage by 59p to £9.50. This puts us back on track for it to reach two-thirds of median earnings by 2024. The minimum wage increases are expected to benefit two and a half million workers across the UK next year.

Research: Finance

Peter Aldous: What steps his Department is taking to increase funding for research and development.

Kwasi Kwarteng: We are making the UK a Science Superpower and the Spending Review confirmed we will be funding the fastest increase in R&D spending ever. We are increasing core science funding, doubling Innovate UK’s budget, giving £800m for ARIA and putting £1.7bn into Net Zero R&D.

Conditions of Employment

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: What plans he has to extend employment rights to (a) workers in the gig economy and (b) all workers.

Paul Scully: The United Kingdom has one of the best records on workers’ rights in the world - going further than the EU in many areas – and we believe the UK’s current three-tiered employment status framework strikes the right balance between the flexibility our economy needs and protections for workers.

Energy: Scotland

Joanna Cherry: What new support he plans to provide to energy transition projects in Scotland.

Greg Hands: Our Net Zero Strategy supports well-paid jobs, leverages up to £90 billion of private investment by 2030 across the UK and outlines support for projects in Scotland, including the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund and the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.

Tidal Power: Contracts

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a ringfenced contract for difference scheme for tidal stream energy; what steps he is taking to support the development of tidal stream renewable energy; and what his timetable is for the announcement of a ringfenced contract for difference for tidal stream energy.

Greg Hands: The Government continues to finalise the arrangements and parameters for the fourth Contracts for Difference allocation round (CfD AR4), including any technology-specific budget ringfencing. In line with statutory timescales, the Government will announce these finalised arrangements before CfD AR4 opens in December 2021.

Energy Supply: Hydrogen

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with metro mayors on converting the gas grid in their area from natural gas to hydrogen.

Greg Hands: A variety of joint government and industry research, development and testing projects are underway, designed to help determine the safety, feasibility, costs and benefits of converting all or part of the existing gas grid to carry 100 percent hydrogen. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not met with metro mayors specifically on converting the gas grid. BEIS officials have had wider engagement with local authorities to ensure their perspectives were considered in the development of the UK Hydrogen Strategy and we will continue to engage with local authorities, metro mayors and other local partners as we look to grow the hydrogen economy throughout the 2020s and beyond.

Aerospace Technology Institute: Finance

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make a statement on the Government’s Spending Review commitment to extend funding for the Aerospace Technology Institute to 2031 to meet its Jet Zero ambitions.

Lee Rowley: At the October Spending Review, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer extended the £1.95 billion funding commitment to the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme from 2026 to 2031. To date, £1.6 billion has been awarded to over 340 collaborative R&D projects spread across the UK. This activity will help to drive the development of new low and zero-carbon emission aircraft technology, which forms an important part of our Jet Zero ambition to decarbonise aviation. We will work through the annual profile of funding for the ATI programme, including when the programme will re-open to new R&D grant applications, over the coming months. Further information on the programme will be provided following that work.

Department of Health and Social Care

Urology: Community Diagnostic Centres

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled Diagnostics: Recovery and Renewal: Report of the Independent Review of Diagnostic Services for NHS England, published on 27 November 2020, what progress his Department has made in moving the urological outpatient workload to community diagnostic hubs.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce ambulance waiting times.

Edward Argar: National Health Service ambulance trusts are being supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement to reduce ambulance waiting times. This includes through monitoring and support through the National Ambulance Coordination Centre and an extra £55 million to increase staff numbers ahead of the winter, to recruit more 999 call handlers and clinicians to work in control rooms and frontline staffing capacity.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when 16 and 17 year olds will be able to book their second covid-19 vaccine; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the transmission of covid-19 in areas that have high levels of both vaccination and covid-19 infections.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what warning systems are in place for hospitals that are at risk of experiencing rising levels of covid-19 infection admissions.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to publicise the ongoing risk of covid-19 to immunocompromised groups to (a) patients with those conditions and (b) the wider public.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dementia: Health Education

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) his Department plans to introduce a cross-government approach to dementia risk reduction and (b) dementia risk reduction will be covered by the new cross-government ministerial board on prevention.

Gillian Keegan: We will set out our future plans on dementia for England in due course. Officials have engaged with a range of stakeholders, including members of the Dementia Programme Board and other Government departments. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is contributing to the development of the strategy which will include a focus on prevention and risk reduction.The new Health Promotion Taskforce has been established to support prevention and improve the nation’s health. The Taskforce will focus on where the evidence shows there is the greatest impact on health and where the biggest opportunities lie for cross-Government action.

Surgery

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Trusts in England have cancelled priority two elective procedures, as of 12 November 2021.

Edward Argar: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that community and NHS mental health provision is integrated for children and young people.

Gillian Keegan: As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, we are extending current service models for 0 to 25 year olds which will deliver an integrated approach across health, social care, education and the voluntary sector, such as the evidenced-based ‘iThrive’ operating model. The ‘NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24’ recognises that voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations play an essential role in the delivery of the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan. The Implementation Plan provides a range of resources to support system leaders for working with VCSE organisations to ensure the design and delivery of services is co-produced.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to phone calls for vulnerable covid-19 patients and their families at the beginning of their hospitalisation where families are unable to visit.

Edward Argar: Since the end of the national restrictions, hospital visiting is subject to local discretion by trusts and other National Health Service bodies, which will take into account the local prevalence of COVID-19 and make their own assessment.Where a face-to-face visit is not practical then virtual visits should be supported and facilitated. The NHS England guidance includes approaches of how to facilitate these for trusts to consider. This includes receiving a phone for patients from their family/friends, passing written messages, delivering emails, and facilitating contact through internet connected devices.

Members: Correspondence

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 16 July 2021 and chase up correspondence of 13 August 2021, 15 September 2021 and 13 October 2021 regarding a constituent with reference JB33290.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 8 November 2021.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department will respond to the letter of 24 August 2021 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire on regarding dentists and ICS boards, ref ZA57477.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 15 November 2021.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire of 18 August 2021 on ambulance waiting times, reference ZA57414.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 9 November 2021.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing free dental care for cancer patients.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Treasury on the introduction of free dental care for cancer patients.

Maria Caulfield: No recent assessment or discussions have taken place. People with cancer can apply for help with National Health Service dental charges on a range of grounds, including partial help through the NHS Low Income Scheme where eligible. Nearly half of all NHS dental patients were treated free of charge in 2020/21.

Cancer: Knowsley

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the length of time it will take to clear the cancer treatment backlog in Knowsley.

Maria Caulfield: St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospital has estimated that waiting lists will be back to within national targets by January 2022. Patients in Knowsley are receiving anti-cancer drugs or radiotherapy within the national waiting times targets. There is no backlog at the local tertiary provider, the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.

Research: Finance

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the UKRI Board on research funding allocations.

Maria Caulfield: The Department for Health and Social Care is working closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Office for Life Sciences on the outcome of the Spending Review for health and care research. The Department and UK Research and Innovation Research Councils will continue to collaborate on a range of ongoing research programmes in future.

Patients: Safety

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the (a) national patient safety recommendations and (b) maternity safety recommendations made by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch.

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the 39 national patient safety recommendations made by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch in 2020-21 his Department has assessed as having been implemented in full.

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the 1,500 maternity safety recommendations made to maternity units in England by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch in 2020-21 his Department has assessed as having been implemented in full.

Maria Caulfield: Responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch’s (HSIB) national patient safety recommendations rest with the recipient organisations. The National Patient Safety Committee, coordinated by NHS England and NHS Improvement, has established a pilot to examine how the implementation of all the HSIB’s national recommendations could be monitored, the potential resources required and information that may aid future evaluation. The National Patient Safety Committee’s draft report on the pilot is currently undergoing review and is expected to be finalised this year.Responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the maternity safety recommendations made by the HSIB rests with individual National Health Service trusts. The HSIB works closely with trusts on addressing emerging themes from the investigations and has quarterly review meetings where trusts provide feedback on the actions being taken to implement the recommendations. The HSIB will raise any immediate concerns to the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement via governance and assurance meetings.

Epilepsy: Assistance Animals

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of recent scientific studies undertaken at Queens University Belfast that show assistance dogs can be trained to predict when people diagnosed with epilepsy may be facing a seizure.

Maria Caulfield: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that translates research into authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the health and care system. NICE will consider whether the new evidence on assistance dogs impacts on its guidance on the diagnosis and management of epilepsies.

Dementia: Health Education

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) what role the Office for Health Promotion will have in dementia risk reduction and (b) which Directorate will be responsible for delivery of that initiative.

Gillian Keegan: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) is a key stakeholder in the development of the new dementia strategy, which will include a focus on prevention and risk reduction. The OHID’s Early Years, Children and Families Directorate is co-ordinating and delivering work relating to dementia risk reduction. This includes producing the Productive Healthy Ageing profile, which contains data for local areas on the risk factors for dementia and working with voluntary sector partners to raise awareness of dementia risk reduction messages. The OHID’s Prevention Services Directorate has responsibility for national oversight of the NHS Health Check programme, which aims to prevent some forms of dementia.

Dementia

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Lancet Commission on Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report on the modifiable risk factors responsible for dementia, published on 20 July 2017, what steps his Department is taking to ensure there is joint action across Directorates on dementia prevention policy.

Gillian Keegan: We will be setting out our future plans on dementia prevention policy for England in due course. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) is contributing to the development of the new strategy including a focus on prevention and risk reduction, such as the modifiable risk factors. Officials have engaged with a range of stakeholders on the new strategy, including members of the Dementia Programme Board and other Government departments.The Healthy Ageing team within the OHID’s Early Years, Children and Families Directorate is co-ordinating and delivering work relating to dementia risk reduction. This is in collaboration with other directorates within the OHID, other Government departments, national and local stakeholders, voluntary sector organisations and academics.

Radiology: Vacancies

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vacancies for diagnostic radiographers there are in each NHS commissioning region in England.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the vacancy rate is for diagnostic radiographers in each NHS commissioning region in England.

Edward Argar: The Department does not hold the data requested.

Health Professions: Termination of Employment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) nurses, (b) health visitors and (c) Hospital and community health services doctors left the NHS in England in 2020-21, by reason for leaving.

Edward Argar: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care or in general practice surgeries, local authorities or other providers. The following table shows the number of HCHS doctors, nurses and health visitors who left the National Health Service in England in 2020-21 and by reason for leaving. HCHS doctorsNursesHealth visitorsLeavers17,13729,233752Leavers by reason for leaving:Bank Staff not fulfilled minimum work requirement334-Death in Service572635Dismissal - Capability192116Dismissal - Conduct14138-Dismissal - Some Other Substantial Reason1970-Dismissal - Statutory Reason417-Employee Transfer24531341End of Fixed Term Contract3,1442265End of Fixed Term Contract - Completion of Training Scheme65726-End of Fixed Term Contract - End of Work Requirement17529-End of Fixed Term Contract - External Rotation1,0704-End of Fixed Term Contract - Other381452Flexi Retirement3521112Has Not Worked59-Initial Pension Ended-2-Merged Organisation - Duplicate Record-1-Mutually Agreed Resignation - Local Scheme with Repayment525-Mutually Agreed Resignation - National Scheme with Repayment431Pregnancy13-Redundancy - Compulsory1213-Redundancy - Voluntary1025-Retirement - Ill Health492396Retirement Age8244,295165Voluntary Early Retirement - no Actuarial Reduction502539Voluntary Early Retirement - with Actuarial Reduction3719010Voluntary Resignation - Adult Dependants251656Voluntary Resignation - Better Reward Package262635Voluntary Resignation - Child Dependants262929Voluntary Resignation - Health5865117Voluntary Resignation - Incompatible Working Relationships211271Voluntary Resignation - Lack of Opportunities171638Voluntary Resignation - Other/Not Known1,0862,35637Voluntary Resignation - Promotion1581,02632Voluntary Resignation - Relocation6922,70034Voluntary Resignation - To undertake further education or training1862497Voluntary Resignation - Work Life Balance2362,48987Unknown7,79112,170247Source: NHS Digital NHS HCHS workforce statisticsNotes:Leavers data is based on headcount and shows staff leaving active service. This would include those going on maternity leave or career break, as well as those leaving a NHS provider to work in another part of the health and social care sector, including social care or primary care.Totals for NHS leavers that are different to the sum of constituent parts indicate where staff have left the NHS in more than one post.Figures are based on data from all English NHS organisations who are using the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).Excludes people moving within the NHS.Leavers data for doctors will include junior doctors moving to postings in primary care.

Members: Correspondence

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Sefton Central to the Minister for International Trade, dated 3 August 2021.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 12 November 2021.

Ambulance Services: Staff

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in the ambulance service in (a) London and (b) England; and what steps he is taking to reduce vacancies in that service.

Edward Argar: No such recent assessment has been made.The number of both clinical and support staff is in the ambulance service is significantly increasing. As of July 2021, there are almost 17,700 clinical ambulance staff working in the National Health Service (NHS), an increase of 4.1% since July 2020 and over 24,700 ambulance support staff, an increase of 2.9% since July 2020. The NHS has provided a £55 million investment for ambulance trusts to boost staff numbers ahead of winter, increasing capacity in terms of available ambulances to respond to patients and of staff in control rooms. The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) is undertaking their most ambitious recruitment drive for Paramedics, Trainee Emergency Ambulance Crew roles, and Assistant Ambulance Practitioners. The LAS recruitment team have achieved fill rates of 93% for Paramedics and 80% for non-registrant roles. They have recruited an additional 500 frontline staff and expect to end the year with only a 2% vacancy rate. This pace of recruitment is significantly above the historic rate of population change in London.

Ambulance Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to relieve pressure on ambulance workers and to improve working conditions within the ambulance service.

Edward Argar: Steps to relieve pressures on ambulance staff and reduce vacancies include NHS England and NHS Improvement allocating ambulance trusts an extra £55 million to boost staff numbers ahead of winter. This will help to recruit more 999 call handlers and clinicians to work in control rooms and bolster frontline staffing capacity and for the National Health Service national health and wellbeing team to work in partnership with the ambulance trusts to provide tailored health and wellbeing support to staff, both to make a difference in the short-term and lay the foundations for a long-term shift towards a preventive approach.

Muscular Dystrophy: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether integrated care systems or NHS England has responsibility for continuing to commission specialised services for muscular dystrophy.

Edward Argar: NHS England will remain responsible for commissioning specialised services, accountable for those services and set the national standards.However, NHS England has established a programme to determine whether it is appropriate to delegate commissioning specialised services to integrated care boards (ICBs). The programme is yet to determine whether NHS England or ICBs will commission specialised diagnostic services in the future.

Christianity: Nurses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the equity of Christian nurses facing discrimination on grounds of religion.

Edward Argar: The Government and NHS England and NHS Improvement have made no assessment about the equity of Christian nurses facing discrimination on grounds of religion.Discrimination in any form is not in line with National Health Service (NHS) values. The fair treatment of staff is directly linked to better clinical outcomes and better experience of care for patients. This is enforced by the requirement for public sector organisations including the Department, NHS England and NHS organisations to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty. This requires them to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different groups when carrying out their activities. The duty applies to the nine protected characteristics, including people’s religion or belief (which includes a lack of belief).

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November to Question 68465 on Hospitals: Coronavirus, notwithstanding the imminent delivery plan for reducing waiting lists, if he will publish an assessment of the effect of covid-19 hospitalisations on (a) the availability of hospital (i) beds and (ii) staff and (b) elective procedures as of 9 November 2021.

Edward Argar: There are no plans at present to publish an assessment of the effect of COVID-19 hospitalisations on the availability of hospital beds, staff and elective procedures.National Health Service (NHS) capacity, including beds, staff and elective activity, is kept under regular national review, while local systems have their own plans in place to meet the needs of their communities.The NHS publishes monthly performance data that shows the impact of COVID-19 and the current waiting lists for services.

Global Health Insurance Card: Welsh Language

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people applying for the UK's Global Health Insurance Card are able to complete the application form in Welsh.

Edward Argar: An applicant cannot apply for the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) in Welsh. The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), who are responsible for issuing the cards, are only able to accept applications in English. If a Welsh speaking customer wishes to contact the NHSBSA in relation to an EHIC or GHIC application a translation service is available.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason local public health teams are not authorised to provide day zero contract tracing for covid-19 infections.

Maggie Throup: In order to increase efficiency in the contact tracing process, a ringfenced four-hour window has been provided for positive cases of COVID-19 to complete the contact tracing journey digitally before either local or national agents attempt to call them. Adding the four-hour window removed around 30% of cases that needed to be called, freeing up capacity both at local and national levels, and leading to an improvement in overall performance.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve contact tracing services.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency continues to work with local authorities to make ongoing improvements to contact tracing services. This includes adapting its operational systems to give local authorities more flexibility in prioritising which cases they receive first and focus on, investigating potential improvements to the digital aspect of contact tracing, and reviewing scripts and training for contact tracers. This builds on existing partnerships between the national tracing service and local authorities through which contact tracers are currently reaching 89.8% of positive cases and 85.7% of their confirmed contacts, with 97.1% of contacts reached within 24 hours of being identified as a contact of someone who tested positive.

Motor Neurone Disease: Research

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to increase the amount of funding allocated to research on Motor Neurone Disease.

Edward Argar: The Government is strongly committed to supporting research into dementia and neurodegeneration, including motor neurone disease (MND). We are currently working on ways to significantly boost further research on dementia and neurodegeneration. The Department of Health and Social Care funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It is not usual practice to ring-fence funding for particular topics or conditions. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including MND. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Coronavirus: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the levels of regular covid-19 testing among the public.

Maggie Throup: Details and breakdowns of daily testing are published at the following link: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/testing. There continues to be a large number of tests taken each day by members of the public and those in high-risk roles. There are still high levels of COVID-19, and it is important that people continue to test, both when they have symptoms and when they are doing activities that carry risk, such as close contact indoors with people at high risk of serious illness.

Health Services: Children

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2021 to Question 66266 on Health Services: Children, for what reason that Answer did not itemise the specific funding allocation from the NHS Covid Recovery Fund for those purposes.

Maggie Throup: The funding provided to the National Health Service as set out in the answer to Question 66266 is allocated to NHS providers based on their local plans and programmes, and not to services specific to a particular patient group.The Government announced on 6 September 2021 plans to spend over £8 billion over the Spending Review period (2022/23 to 2024/25) for a major catch up programme that will help the NHS to provide elective care that was delayed by the pandemic.The Government also announced on 6 September 2021 an additional £5.4 billion for the NHS to support the COVID-19 response over the next six months, bringing the total government support for health services in response to COVID-19 to over £34 billion this year (2021/22). This includes £2 billion to tackle the elective backlog, reducing waiting times for patients, including disabled children.

Department for Education

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department has provided to support the 300 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Afghan nationals at UK universities under Operation Warm Welcome; and how many of those scholarships have been awarded.

Michelle Donelan: A significant cross-government effort is underway, called ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, to ensure Afghans arriving in the UK receive the vital support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education, and integrate into their local communities.As part of Operation Warm Welcome, it was announced there would be further funding for up to 300 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Afghans at UK universities. The department will update with further details of this programme in due course.

School Exclusions Review

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his planned timetable is for completing implementation of the commitments made in response to The Timpson review of school exclusion.

Mr Robin Walker: The government is actively taking forward the recommendations from the Timpson Review of School Exclusion through its ambitious programme of action on behaviour, exclusion and alternative provision, which will back head teachers’ powers to use exclusion when they need to, enable schools to support children at risk of exclusion, and ensure that excluded children continue to receive a good education.The department published a call for evidence on behaviour management strategies, in-school units and managed moves in June this year and will shortly be consulting on new statutory guidance on suspensions and permanent exclusions. In addition, as part of the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Review, we will be setting out our plans for reforming alternative provision so it can provide leadership and expertise across the whole school system to incentivise early support, and to ensure stable and high-quality provision for those children and young people most at risk of disengaging from education.The department will be bringing forward proposals for public consultation in the first three months of 2022.

Department for Education: Stonewall

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2021 to Question 61056 on Department for Education: Stonewall, if he will make an assessment of the consistency of the funding  from his Department recorded in Stonewall’s Trustees' Report And Financial Statements and that Answer.

Michelle Donelan: The contents of the Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements of Stonewall are a matter for the Trustees of Stonewall and its appointed auditors.

Schools: Ventilation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to  provide Government funded schools with the funding to install portable high efficiency particulate filters in classrooms where existing ventilation is inadequate to reduce the transmission of covid-19; what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on providing long-term funding for schools to install or upgrade mechanical ventilation systems; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: The department is providing CO2 monitors to state-funded education settings, including early years, schools, and further education providers, backed by £25 million in government funding. The new monitors will provide further reassurance that existing ventilation measures are working, helping balance the need for good ventilation with keeping classrooms warm. The department has also provided new information on how to use CO2 monitors to better manage ventilation. In the case of persistent red readings on CO2 monitors, settings should initially look at whether doors or windows can be opened, and/or mechanical ventilation systems fixed. If this is not feasible and CO2 readings cannot be improved, settings should look at undertaking further works to address the underlying problem. Remedial works to improve ventilation remain the responsibility of individual settings. Schools receive an annual devolved formula capital allocation to spend on small capital projects or capital purchases. For more substantial capital works, schools and those responsible for school buildings have access to funding to improve the condition of their buildings through different routes depending on their size and type. Further details are available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding. Day to day maintenance, including minor repairs to improve ventilation, should be typically funded from revenue budgets. The case for additional support for settings to maintain good ventilation will be kept under review as the programme continues and schools, colleges, and nurseries use the monitors to further assess their ventilation needs. Department officials and Ministers regularly meet with a wide range of other government departments and external organisations to discuss the government's COVID-19 outbreak response. This includes the use of public health measures in education settings such as ventilation.

Education: Standards

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average educational attainment is for (a) boys and (b) girls at ages (i) 11, (ii) 16 and (ii) 18 in each (A) county and (B) region of England.

Mr Robin Walker: Due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, most examinations and assessments did not take place in the 2019/20 or 2020/21 academic years. All key stage 2 national curriculum assessments were cancelled for both academic years. Therefore, no key stage 2 attainment data is available for these years. The department publishes attainment of boys and girls at the end of key stage 2 by local authority and region. The latest figures for the 2018/19 academic year can be found in table L1 of the 'National, local authority and regional tables' here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-2-2019-revised[1]. The department also publishes attainment of boys and girls at the end of key stage 4 by local authority and region. These figures are available for the 2020/21 academic year here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance-revised. A pre-created table is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/98e6ae4e-2b02-48cb-898e-c7079dda1490. Providing an average educational attainment figure requires interpretation because of the numerous qualification types across key stage 5, with different grading structures. Performance tables include the average attainment for each qualification type, specifically A level, Academic, Applied general, Tech level and Technical certificate split by local authority and region. These figures are available for the 2020//21 academic year here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results/2020-21. A pre-created table can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/42ec181e-17d2-488d-b531-514f0d90b0a8  To look at average attainment across all qualification types, the level 2 and 3 attainment by young people aged 19 release is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/level-2-and-3-attainment-by-young-people-aged-19/2019-20.The attached table shows the attainment of the cohort turning 19 in the years shown. It includes the proportion of that cohort who achieved level 2 by 16 and went on to achieve level 3 by 19, sorted by gender, region, and local authority. County level data is not published. [1] Download the ‘National, local authority and regional tables’ and go to table ‘Table_L1’.72614_Table (xlsx, 35.0KB)

Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what responsibilities his Department is placing on (a) directors of children's services, (b) school governing bodies, (c) academy trusts and (d) local forums of schools to (i) review information on SEND children who leave schools by exclusion or otherwise and (ii) establish a shared understanding of how the data on the characteristics of those children informs local trends.

Will Quince: The department’s ‘understanding your data: a guide for school governors and academy trustees’ document makes clear that governing boards should carefully consider the level and characteristics of pupils who are leaving the school and deploy maximum challenge to the school and academy trust management teams on any permanent exclusions. This is to ensure it is only used as a last resort. The full guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-your-data-a-guide-for-school-governors-and-academy-trustees/understanding-your-data-a-guide-for-school-governors-and-academy-trustees#pupil-numbersattendance-and-exclusions.This also includes looking at suspensions, pupils taken off roll, those directed to be educated off-site in alternative provision (AP) and whether there are any patterns to the reasons or timing of such moves. For example, if high numbers of children with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) are moving, the school, academy or trust may wish to consider reviewing its SEN support.The department is also clear locally that schools, local authorities, and local forums should track and review the information they have on children who leave schools, by exclusion or otherwise. This helps to establish a shared understanding of how the data on the characteristics of such children feeds local trends. Where patterns indicate possible concerns or gaps in provision, we expect headteachers and other local leaders to use this information to ensure they are effectively planning to meet the needs of all children.

Special Educational Needs: Reviews

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) involving SEND groups that have not to date been involved in the SEND Review in that process and (b) expanding the franchise of stakeholders beyond the National Network Parent Carer Forum in that review process.

Will Quince: The government continues to work extensively with a broad range of partners to ensure that proposals from our special educational needs and disability (SEND) Review translate into improved outcomes for children and young people, with a focus on preparing them for later life and adulthood. Ministers and officials are meeting a widespread group of stakeholders, as well as establishing a new steering group in September 2021 that brings together government departments with representatives of parents, schools, colleges and early years, local government, health and care and independent experts. The group is helping the government conclude the SEND Review at pace and advise on proposals to be set out in a SEND Green Paper to be published in the first three months of 2022. Please see the following for further details about the new steering group: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/send-review-steering-group. Public consultation of our proposals will provide an opportunity to hear further from children and young people, parents and those who work with them so they can continue to shape and challenge our thinking.

Special Educational Needs: Reviews

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his planned timetable is for completion of the SEND Review.

Will Quince: The government is working at pace, and extensively with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), parents and carers, as well as those working in local government, education, health and care services to ensure that proposals from our SEND Review translate into improved outcomes for children and young people, with a focus on preparing them for later life and adulthood. The department will be bringing forward proposals for public consultation in the first three months of 2022.

Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking with Ofsted to (a) define and (b) tackle the practice of off-rolling in relation to the exclusion of SEND children.

Will Quince: While there is no legal definition of off-rolling, the definition within Ofsted is very simple. Off-rolling is the practice of removing a pupil from the school roll without using a permanent exclusion, when the removal is primarily in the best interests of the school, rather than the best interests of the pupil. The government is clear that off-rolling is unlawful and unacceptable in any form and will continue to work with Ofsted to tackle it. Ofsted already considers records of children taken off roll and their characteristics, and strengthened the focus on this in the revised framework in September 2019. Where inspectors find off-rolling, this will always be addressed in the inspection report and, where appropriate, could lead to a school’s leadership being judged inadequate.

Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to make schools accountable for the outcomes of permanently excluded SEND children.

Will Quince: The government is taking forward an ambitious programme of action on behaviour, exclusion and alternative provision (AP) which will respect head teachers’ powers to use exclusion when they need to, enable schools to support children at risk of exclusion, and ensure that excluded children continue to receive a good education. The department knows that the vast majority of pupils in AP have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), particularly social, emotional, and mental health, and that AP is increasingly operating as part of the SEND system. In the SEND Review, we will set out our plans for reforming AP to incentivise early support and to ensure that those who are at risk of a suspension or being permanently excluded remain safe and supported in high-quality education.

Special Educational Needs

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a programme for SEND children to embed effective partnership working between local authorities, schools, alternative provision and other partners.

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department (a) has issued and (b) plans to issue on helping to ensure that the interests of SEND children are central to decisions on (i) managed moves and (ii) alternative education offsite provision for SEND children.

Will Quince: The department is clear that close working between local partners, including schools, alternative provision (AP) and the local authority, is vital to improving support and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The majority of students in AP have SEND, particularly social, emotional and mental health needs which is why the SEND Review is considering how AP can provide leadership and expertise. For pupils with SEND, the suspensions and permanent exclusions guidance already makes clear that a managed move must occur with the consent of the parties involved. The department is committed to revising the statutory suspensions and permanent exclusions guidance to make it clearer and more consistent, so that headteachers have the information they need to use disciplinary sanctions properly and proportionately. In June 2021, the department launched a call for evidence on managing behaviour and the use of isolation rooms in schools, including asking how vulnerable pupils are supported. This evidence will be considered and further assessed alongside the results of a public consultation later this year on the behaviour and discipline in schools guidance. The guidance will provide practical advice to schools about how to encourage good behaviour and respond effectively to incidents of misbehaviour in and out of the classroom.

Performing Arts: Schools

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to use his Department’s covid-19 recovery funding to increase participation in drama and theatre in schools.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to use his Department’s covid-19 recovery funding to increase participation in music in schools.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to use his Department’s covid-19 recovery funding to increase participation in competitive sports in schools.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to use his Department’s covid-19 recovery funding to increase participation in dance in schools.

Mr Robin Walker: In addition to the department’s ambitious wider spending review settlement for schools and 16-19 settings; since June 2020 nearly £5 billion in education recovery funding to support children and young people recover from the COVID-19 outbreak has been announced. The department’s recovery programmes allow early years, school and college leaders to support those pupils most in need to help them catch-up. This includes the catch-up premium in the 2020/21 academic year and the recovery premium in the 2021/22 academic year. Using evidenced based interventions, this funding can also be used to tackle non-academic barriers to success in school, such as enrichment activities like arts and sport. The department has also committed £200 million for secondary schools to deliver face-to-face summer schools in summer 2021, giving secondary pupils access to enrichment activities, such as games, music, drama and sports that they have missed out on over the COVID-19 outbreak. Almost 2,800 secondary schools across England signed up to host a summer school, this will have helped to support physical and mental health and wellbeing. The government is committed to high-quality education for all pupils, and integral to this are the arts and music. The department provides significant funding for a range of cultural education programmes, including music, which schools can access – over £620 million between 2016 to 2021, additional to core school budgets. We confirmed £80 million funding for this financial year, 2021-22, for music programmes; and we continue to provide just over £4 million for a set of tailored arts programmes. We will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, though our music, arts and heritage programmes, working closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Arts Council England and others. Alongside this, schools have continued to receive their core funding throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. The recent spending review announced that core funding for schools will rise by a further £4.7 billion by 2024-25, compared to previous plans, this builds on the largest school funding increase in a decade at the 2019 spending round. Collectively, this will support schools to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities.

Ministry of Justice

Domestic Abuse

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what protection UK victims of coercive control have under the Hague Convention when subject to proceedings of that convention.

James Cartlidge: The government has assumed this question relates to the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention.In 1980 Hague Convention proceedings for the return of a child to their country of habitual residence, the child is the subject of the proceedings. It is open to the taking parent, as a party in the case opposing the return, to bring evidence before the court that there is a grave risk that the return of the child would expose the child to physical or psychological harm or otherwise place the child in an intolerable situation.It is for the independent court to decide on the basis of the evidence of grave risk, including where that evidence arises from alleged domestic abuse by the left behind parent against the taking parent, whether what is alleged gives rise to a grave risk to the child, such that the child should not be returned. The 1980 Hague Convention does not make provision for decisions about adults.

Young Offender Institutions: Females

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report, Out of sight: Girls in the Children and Young People’s Secure Estate, published by Centre for Mental Health on 5 October 2021, what steps he is taking to ensure that there is sufficient high-quality and appropriate accommodation in the children and young-people's secure estate to accommodate girls (a) while Rainsbrook STC is closed and (b) after decisions have been made on the futures of Rainsbrook and Oakhill STCs and prior to the opening of the Medway Secure School.

Victoria Atkins: Although the numbers of girls in custody remain small, the latest published statistics show that at the end of August 2021, only 20 of the 550 children and young people (including 18 year olds) in the Children and Young Person’s Secure Estate were female and it is very important that their individual needs and requirements are met.Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs) remain a key placement consideration for girls and it is this sector that accommodates the majority of girls in custody. Whilst permanent options are reviewed, following the decant of Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre in June and July, the Youth Custody Service has expanded provision for girls at the Keppel Unit which is a self-contained unit on the Wetherby site for children with complex and challenging needs, and those who pose significant risk or require specialist input.A discrete unit at Keppel has been established and redesigned to accommodate girls, with work continuing locally to devise and further implement gender-specific policies and procedures, with close local engagement with Healthcare and Education providers in order to make any necessary amendments in the delivery of services as required.

Ministry of Justice: Stonewall

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2021 to Question 61053 on Stonewall: Ministry of Justice, if he will make a comparative assessment of the accuracy of  the figures cited for funding from his Department to Stonewall of (a) £6,460 paid to Stonewall in the financial years 2018-2019 and 2019-2021 included in that Answer and (b) £10,126.80 coded in an FOI answer from his Department, reference 210303018.

James Cartlidge: n the period covering the last five financial years the MOJ has paid the following sums to Stonewall: 2016-17 Financial Year (HR Services) £354.00: MOJ conference attendance 2017-18 Financial Year (HR Services) £3,000.00: MOJ Stonewall Diversity Champions Membership£3,768.00: MOJ Role Models Cluster Programme£358.80: MOJ conference attendance 2018-19 Financial Year (HR Services) £3,000.00: MOJ Stonewall Diversity Champions Membership 2019-20 Financial Year £3,000.00: MOJ Stonewall Diversity Champions Membership£552.00: Office of the Public Guardian conference attendance 2020-21 Financial Year £3,000.00: Stonewall Diversity Champions Membership£837.60: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service conference attendance Total departmental spend across the last five financial years totals £17,870.40 with costs inclusive of VAT. For financial years 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 the spend outlined only covers MoJ Headquarters HR Services (People Group). For the entire Ministry of Justice inclusive of its agencies 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial years this would include a spend search for MOJ HQ, National Offender Management Service, Office of the Public Guardian with a nil return for HMCTS, WLS, Independent Monitoring Authority, Probation Board, Legal Aid Agency, Judicial Appointments Committee, and Youth Justice Board. This does not include spend for Legal Services Board, Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, Legal Ombudsman, Criminal Cases Review Commission and Gov Facility Services Limited. Further information relating to spend from MoJ Agencies could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Crown Court: Kingston upon Thames

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) knives and (b) other bladed implements were removed from witnesses and visitors on entry to Kingston Crown Court and County Court premises in the year to 30 September 2021.

James Cartlidge: There were 19 knives and 215 other bladed implements (for example metal cutlery which could be used as a weapon) removed from all visitors, including witnesses, on entry to Kingston Crown Court and County Court premises for the period 1 January 21 to 30 September 2021.

Treasury

Non-domestic Rates: Tax Allowances

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the impact on large business that have several venues of introducing the 50 per cent business rates relief discount on a (a) per business and (b) per premises basis.

Lucy Frazer: Together with Small Business Rates Relief, over 90 per cent of retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will receive at least a 50 per cent reduction in their business rates bills in the year 2022-23.

Defibrillators: VAT

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2021 to Question 68145 and the Answer of the 26 October 2021 to question 60363, on what evidential basis his Department concluded that reviewing legislation on VAT on automated external defibrillators would impose significant additional pressure on the public finances in the absence of a specific cost-benefit analysis.

Lucy Frazer: The Government has received over £50 billion worth of requests for relief from VAT since the EU referendum. Any new VAT relief would come at a cost to the exchequer. There are existing VAT reliefs in place to aid the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), including VAT relief on purchases made by local authorities and those made through voluntary contributions, where the AED is donated to eligible charities or the NHS.

Non-domestic Rates: Tax Allowances

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the 50 per cent business rates relief discount will be afforded per businesses or per premises; and whether high street and seaside arcades will be eligible for that support.

Lucy Frazer: Eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England will receive up to 50 per cent off their business rates bill in 2022-23, subject to a £110,000 cash cap per business. Guidance setting out eligibility for the 2022-23 retail, hospitality and leisure relief will be published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in due course.

Gaming Machines: Non-domestic Rates

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the amusement machine industry will be eligible for the 50 per cent business rates relief discount afforded to the retail, leisure and hospitality industry, as announced in the Autumn Budget 2021.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether seaside and high street arcades will be eligible for the 50 per cent business rates relief discount as announced for the leisure industry in the Autumn Budget 2021.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government plans to publish guidance on the businesses that will be eligible for the 50 per cent business rates relief discount; and whether (a) seaside and (b) high street arcades will be included.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the business rate cut for retail, leisure and hospitality sectors set out in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 will apply to the leisure marine industry.

Lucy Frazer: Guidance setting out eligibility for the 2022-23 retail, hospitality and leisure relief will be published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in due course.

Wealth: Taxation

Patrick Grady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a response to Early Day Motion 420 on Introducing a wealth tax.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is committed to a fair tax system in which those with the most contribute the most. The UK already taxes assets and wealth across many different economic activities, including the acquisition, holding, transfer and disposal of assets, and income derived from assets. Notably, the Wealth Tax Commission, which has no connection or link to the Government, found that if considering Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Stamp Duty and Stamp Duty Land Tax, the UK is among the top of the G7 countries for wealth taxes as a percentage of total wealth. The priority right now remains to support jobs and the economy. Getting people back to work and encouraging and incentivising businesses to take on new employees and new apprentices ultimately creates the wealth that funds our public services.

Tax Evasion: Appeals

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing a right of appeal for people affected by the Loan Charge.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the compatibility of the Loan Charge scheme with the principles of natural justice.

Lucy Frazer: The Loan Charge was introduced to tackle a particular form of tax avoidance that has been going on in many forms for years. It would be unfair to ordinary taxpayers to let anybody benefit from tax avoidance of this sort, and that is why the Government took this action. In 2019, the Independent Loan Charge Review, led by Lord Morse, found that it was right for the Government to ensure that the tax was collected and that the Loan Charge should remain in force, though with changes to manage its impact. The Government implemented 19 of the 20 recommendations made by Lord Morse. HMRC’s powers are balanced by a comprehensive suite of safeguards for taxpayers, and the Loan Charge follows these. All taxpayers have the right to appeal tax decisions made by HMRC. Where someone disagrees with HMRC’s assessment that the Loan Charge applies they can appeal that decision.

Schools: Uniforms

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2021 to Question 58455, on Schools: Uniforms, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of VAT on school uniforms on parents whose children are required to wear school uniform in years five and six of secondary schooling.

Lucy Frazer: Under the current VAT rules, all children’s clothing and footwear designed for children who are less than 14 years of age, including school uniforms, attract a zero-rate of VAT, meaning that no VAT is charged on the sale of these items. The UK is one of only two countries among the 37 OECD member countries to maintain a VAT relief for children’s clothing, which costs the Exchequer £2 billion per year. Expanding that relief would come at a further cost and would have to be balanced by increased taxes elsewhere or reductions in Government spending. The Government keeps all taxes under constant review.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Travel

Sarah Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support people who work in the travel industry following the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Lucy Frazer: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was designed as a temporary, economy-wide measure to support businesses while widespread restrictions were in place. To date, the scheme has succeeded in supporting 11.7 million jobs across the UK with employer claims totalling £70 billion, which has aided businesses and protected livelihoods. Where applicable, travel agents can continue to apply for the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) scheme through their local authority, which is open until March 2022. Throughout the pandemic, over £2 billion of discretionary business grant funding was provided to local authorities via the ARG to support businesses in their local area. Local authorities determine how much funding to provide to businesses and exactly which businesses to target.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.38 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, what companies he (a) has had discussions and (b) plans to have discussions with on the £1.7 billion allocated to enabling a large-scale nuclear plant to achieve a final investment decision this Parliament.

Mr Simon Clarke: At the Spending Review, the Chancellor announced that £1.7 billion has been allocated to enabling a large-scale nuclear plant to achieve a final investment decision this Parliament, subject to value for money and approvals. Details of any meetings with companies regarding funding are commercially sensitive. The government remains in active negotiations with EDF over the Sizewell C project.

Treasury: Stonewall

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2021 to Question 68994, on Treasury: Stonewall, if he will provide details of any funding for Stonewall from his Department in each of the last five years broken down by purpose or project.

Helen Whately: Details on funding in each of the last five years broken down by purpose or project  YearAnnual membership subscription fee2016-1702017-18£30002018-19£30002020-21£30002021-22£3000

Children: Day Care

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the tax-free childcare scheme, how many user accounts have been closed as a result of inactivity in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those accounts concerned families where the children being claimed for were over the age of 11.

Mr Simon Clarke: No Tax Free Childcare accounts have been closed due to inactivity over the past 5 years. Accounts are only closed when a customer requests it or where remediation has occurred, for example to remove duplicate accounts.

Economic Situation: China

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential risks posed to UK financial stability as a result of developments in China’s economy in recent months; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.

John Glen: The Treasury, alongside the UK’s independent financial authorities – the FCA, PRA and Bank of England - continue to closely monitor China’s economy. Since 2008 there has been a concerted international effort to strengthen the global financial system. In the UK, banks now hold over three times more capital than they did at the time of the financial crisis. The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee judges that the UK banking sector is resilient to a wide range of economic scenarios, including a contraction in both China and Hong Kong's economic activity. This judgement of the UK banking sector is supported by the interim results of the 2021 solvency stress test.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

AUKUS

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a response to Early Day Motion 493 on US-UK-Australia military pact.

James Cleverly: The enhanced security partnership agreed between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) is a concrete articulation of the UK's ambition, made in the Integrated Review, to deepen defence, security and foreign policy ties with like-minded allies across the globe. It will help promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region. The first initiative under AUKUS will be a collaboration on future nuclear powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. The proposed submarines use a nuclear reactor uniquely as a power source. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty does not prohibit the use of nuclear propulsion technology. The US and the UK take their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty extremely seriously. Australia remains committed to fulfilling all of its obligations as a non-nuclear weapons state, including with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Our three nations are deeply committed to upholding our leadership on global non-proliferation.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to ensure that Palestinian communities have been meaningfully consulted in the development overseas aid initiatives intended to support them.

James Cleverly: Development programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) work to preserve the prospect of a negotiated Two State Solution and to improve the lives of Palestinians throughout the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, in line with the UK's longstanding position. The UK engages with a broad range of stakeholders to understand the impact of UK programming, including in the OPTs.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the status is of the around 175 British Council contractors who have applied to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) but have so far received no answer; whether those contractors are eligible for ARAP; what the process is by which those contractors may be able to gain rapid approval under the category 4 case-by-case approvals system; how that approvals system will work; and when that approvals system will commence.

James Cleverly: We stand by our commitment to help all Afghans who are eligible to come to the UK. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) offers resettlement for eligible Afghan staff who have assisted the UK Government, and their families, and others who have worked with the Government in exceptional circumstances. As the then Foreign Secretary confirmed to the House on 6 September, applications from British Council contractors will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 201 to Question 903830 on the Palestinian Authority: ODA recognising the importance of supporting Palestinian institutions, what plans her Department has to restore funding to the salaries of Palestinian health and education professionals in 2021-22.

James Cleverly: Our future spending allocations will be set in the next Spending Review and full budgets for 2021 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development website and in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Annual Report and Accounts.

Afghanistan: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of British nationals who (a) are in and (b) are wanting to leave Afghanistan as of 9 November 2021; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of British nationals who were in Afghanistan before August 2021.

James Cleverly: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Officer (FCDO) does not routinely ask British nationals to register with a British Embassy or High Commission overseas. Recognising the circumstances in Afghanistan, British nationals still in Afghanistan were asked to register their continued presence to allow the FCDO to maintain contact after the evacuation phase ended. British nationals continue to receive updates from the FCDO on the situation in Afghanistan.Between 15-28 August over 8,300 British nationals and dependents were evacuated from Afghanistan. Since the end of Operation Pitting, the FCDO has assisted over 700 British nationals and their dependents back to the UK. This includes helping 210 British nationals and their dependents leave Afghanistan through Qatari Government charter flights. We continue to work to support British nationals and their eligible dependants to leave Afghanistan if that is their wish.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Private Military and Security Companies

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the presence of foreign private military companies operating in conflict areas in sub-Saharan Africa.

Vicky Ford: We are concerned by the behaviour of some foreign private military companies operating in conflict zones, particularly those engaged as direct parties to conflicts. While foreign military companies might be engaged in legitimate activities, such as the protection of sensitive infrastructure; UN and media reports have noted that in the Central African Republic, widespread human rights abuses, including the killing and torture of unarmed civilians and widespread looting are being carried out by a foreign private military company. It is vital that all international actors, including private military companies, respect international humanitarian law and comply with relevant arms embargos in conflict zones.

Christianity

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her foreign counterparts to prevent the abuse of the human rights of Christians living overseas.

James Cleverly: In line with the Government's commitment, work continues to implement the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro's review into what more the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) could do to address the persecution of Christians in a way that will bring real improvements in the lives of those persecuted because of their faith or belief.We also work with the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, G7 and other multilateral fora to promote FoRB. Lord Ahmad hosted a successful Arria meeting in the margins of the Security Council in March 2021, raising awareness on persecution of religious minorities in conflict.The UK will host an international Ministerial conference on FoRB in 2022 to energise collective efforts on this agenda, demonstrating our enduring commitment to promoting FoRB for all.

Ethiopia: Politics and Government

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had (a) at the United Nations Security Council and (b) with the African Union and Governments in the region on securing (i) a ceasefire, (ii) full humanitarian access and (iii) investigations into human rights atrocities in Ethiopia.

Vicky Ford: We regularly discuss the conflict in Ethiopia with a wide variety of partners, including at the UN and the African Union (AU). I spoke on 28 October at a UN Security Council (UNSC) open debate, stressing the importance of cooperation between the UN and AU in this conflict. The Foreign Secretary spoke with the AU Horn of Africa Envoy Olusegun Obasanjo on 12 October and offered our full support to his efforts. I spoke with him on 4 November to discuss the situation in Ethiopia and reiterate our support. I also spoke with the AU Commissioner Bankole Adeoye on 8 November about the urgent need for a ceasefire and humanitarian access in Ethiopia. During the World Leaders Summit at COP26, I was also able to discuss the situation with leaders of different African States. The Foreign Secretary also spoke to Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen on 5 November, where she made clear there is no military solution and that negotiations are needed to avoid bloodshed and deliver lasting peace.On 5 November the UNSC issued a Press Statement, following the introduction of the nationwide State of Emergency by Prime Minister Abiy on 2 November, expressing deep concern about the conflict and its impact on the humanitarian situation and wider region. The UNSC most recently met on 8 November, where the UK called for all parties to stop fighting and start talking, and to implement the recommendations contained in the joint report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.

Afghanistan: Home Country Nationals

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Afghan nationals with UK visas who served (a) as interpreters and (b) in other locally employed staff roles are in Afghanistan as of 8 November 2021; and what steps her Department is taking to facilitate the return of those people to the UK.

James Cleverly: It remains a top priority to help those British nationals and those Afghans eligible to come to the UK, to leave Afghanistan. We have created a new Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit, staffed jointly by officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home Office and Ministry of Defence, which is taking forward the UK's commitment to resettle individuals and those family members confirmed to be eligible under ARAP or who were notified by the UK government that they had been called forward or specifically authorised for evacuation, but were not able to board flights in line with the published policy statement. We have also made very clear that if the Taliban want international acceptance, they must ensure safe passage for those entitled to go to another country.

Sudan: Paramilitary Forces

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of whether arms and equipment provided by the UK to the Saudi and Emirati Governments may have been acquired by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces; and if she will make a statement.

James Cleverly: The UK takes its export control responsibilities and obligations extremely seriously. We assess all export licence applications in accordance with strict licensing criteria. These criteria include prohibitions under arms embargoes and an assessment on the risk of diversion. We work closely with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Sudan and, along with the US, issued a Sudan Quad statement on 3 November calling for the full and immediate restoration of Sudan's civilian-led transitional government following the military coup on 25 October.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support (a) Afghan Nationals and (b) the dependents of Afghan nationals who are in Pakistan and are at risk of deportation but are (i) not eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (ii) at high risk of fatal Taliban reprisal in Afghanistan.

James Cleverly: Operation PITTING was the biggest UK military evacuation for over 70 years and enabled around 15,000 people to leave Afghanistan and get to safety. This is in addition to the families we had already welcomed under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). Following rapid work by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Home Office and Ministry of Defence (MoD), we were able to 'call forward' a number of other people for evacuation, in addition to the ARAP contingent and British nationals. These people were identified as being particularly at risk. They included female politicians, members of the LGBT community, women's rights activists and judges.We have created a new Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit, staffed jointly by officials from the FCDO, Home Office and Ministry of Defence, which is taking forward the UK's commitment to resettle individuals and those family members confirmed to be eligible. We have also made very clear that if the Taliban want international acceptance, they must ensure safe passage for those entitled to go to another country, and they must respect the human rights of all Afghans, including those of women and girls, and allow unhindered humanitarian access. We remain committed to supporting Afghanistan and we will use every diplomatic and economic lever at our disposal to restore stability to Afghanistan.

Zhang Zhan

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Chinese counterpart on the situation of journalist, Zhang Zhan.

Amanda Milling: We are deeply concerned about Zhang Zhan's continued detention. In January, we joined a statement issued by the Media Freedom Coalition that expressed strong concern at Zhang Zhan's sentencing and called on the Chinese authorities to release her immediately. Our Embassy in Beijing raised our concerns again with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August. We will continue to monitor her situation closely.

Eswatini: Politics and Government

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has made to the Government of Eswatini on (a) allegations of police brutality, (b) mass arrests, including of minors, and (c) the arrest of Members of Parliament.

Vicky Ford: The UK remains concerned by the situation in Eswatini, including by reports of the use of excessive force and the arbitrary arrest of protestors in mid-October. We have called for all reports of incidents of police brutality to be investigated. The UK Government is clear that all citizens have the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression and that the Government of Eswatini must exercise restraint and respect the human rights of its people. We raised this most recently during Eswatini's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council. In September I visited Eswatini and met Prime Minister Dlamini and King Mswati III, at his request, to discuss the civil unrest and violent confrontations, I urged him to listen to all parties and address the root causes. I also met with members of Eswatini's Multi-Stakeholder Forum to discuss how civil society can engage with the Government on these issues. The Government's recent commitment to draw up terms of reference, in cooperation with SADC, for a National Forum for Dialogue is welcome. The UK High Commissioner in Eswatini is continuing to engage with the Government to promote peaceful and inclusive dialogue and the early resolution of the charges against three MPs, two of whom remain incarcerated.

Mozambique: Politics and Government

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the security situation in northern Mozambique; and what Official Development Assistance has been provided to that region in each of the last three years, including the proportion spent on the security sector.

Vicky Ford: We welcome the news that Rwandan, Southern African Development Community and Mozambican Forces have recovered areas of Cabo Delgado, north-east Mozambique, that were previously under insurgent control. There is still work to be done and we look forward to the Government working with international partners to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches affected areas, and reconstruction can take place. We are working with the Government of Mozambique to address the root drivers of conflict and instability, including by providing targeted assistance under the framework of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding. The UK is also working to strengthen international cooperation, and co-chairs with Ireland a high-level international taskforce on Cabo Delgado.The UK has provided over £22 million in aid to Cabo Delgado through UN agencies, ensuring access to food, shelter, water, sanitation and basic health. (Approximately £12 million 2019/20, £8.05 million in 2020/21 and £2.7 million 2021/22). None of this Official Development Assistance has been spent on the security sector.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Sudanese Government on the (a) release of civilian leaders, (b) a return to democratic transition and (c) the freedom and safety of civil society.

Vicky Ford: We strongly condemn the actions of the Sudanese military on 25 October, including to detain Prime Minister Hamdok and members of the civilian government and declare a State of Emergency. The Foreign Secretary made a statement on 5 November calling for the release of all those unlawfully detained and restoration of the civilian-led transitional government, which followed a similar statement made with our Sudan Quad partners (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and US) on 3 November. We expressed our condemnation at a UN Security Council meeting on 26 October, as well as during a Special Session at the UN Human Rights Council we secured on 5 November which also adopted a resolution making clear that Sudan's civilian-led government must be restored, detainees freed, and human rights respected. Our Ambassador to Khartoum and other members of the diplomatic community in Khartoum have met with Prime Minister Hamdok to demonstrate UK support for his release. On 9 November Troika (UK, Norway and US) ambassadors met with General Burhan to urge the military to reverse their actions.Sudanese civil society played an important role in the 2019 protests and we welcome their continued efforts towards ensuring the success of the transition since the revolution. It is crucial that the prominent role of civil society in Sudan's democratic transition continues. With our international partners we continue to maintain public international pressure on the military to return to the democratic transition in order to deliver the freedom, peace and justice called for by the Sudanese people.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: ICT

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 145 of his Department's annual report and accounts 2019-2020, for what reason the project to procure a new information system was terminated with a loss of £4 million.

Jeremy Quin: Constructive Loss - Advance Notification: Cessation of a project to procure a new information system (IS) (£4.059 million)   The loss value relates to capital investment expenditure on the development of a new IS focussed on specialist ISR capabilities system between 2014-15 to 2016-17. The project was paused while other options were investigated and it was ultimately decided not to pursue the project further noting that due to the rapid pace and change in technology in the area covered by the project, the previous development work was now out of date. The decision to 'pause' the project was therefore in practical terms one of cessation which has led to a constructive loss. Accounting action was taken during 2019-20 to impair the full balance of £4.059 million.

Shipbuilding: Public Expenditure

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 will effect the publication timeline for the National Shipbuilding Strategy refresh.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 November to Question 68408 to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle (Emma Hardy).68408 - Shipbuilding (docx, 15.7KB)

Type 23 Frigates: Repairs and Maintenance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.11 of the NAO report entitled Improving the performance of major equipment contracts, published on 24 June 2021, what costs were incurred in upgrading the Type 23 frigates caused by delays in procurement of the Type 26 and Type 31e frigates.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 November in response to question 71268. 71268 - Type 23 Frigates (docx, 15.6KB)

National Army Museum: Medals

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to return the (a) Distinguished Conduct Medal and (b) campaign medals awarded in WWII to Sergeant Sidney Morton Vernon to his son, which have been traced to the National Army Museum following a home burglary in 1961.

Leo Docherty: I understand the desire of Sgt Vernon's son to retrieve the medals which are no longer in his family's possession. This service family are rightly proud of Sergeant Vernon and his medals are an important recognition of his distinguished service.The National Army Museum is a Royal Chartered body and a Registered Charity that follows strict UK Accreditation standards when considering disposals from their permanent collection. It is the responsibility of the museum's Council to make a decision in this matter while ensuring that all rules and standards applicable to requests such as this are adhered to.MOD officials have advised me that the Museum have responded to the hon. Member's letter to them about this case. The matter remains open and I have asked the Museum to expedite their handling of Mr Vernon's claim, that had been impacted by reduced staffing during the pandemic.

Armed Forces: Transport

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Operation Pitting, what recent assessment he has made of the UK's strategic transport capability.

James Heappey: Operation PITTING was not only a strategic success, but as the largest humanitarian operation conducted by the RAF since the Berlin Airlift it also validated many Defence Planning Assumptions, using the full range of Air Transport capabilities - C-17, Voyager, A400M and Hercules. Whilst the Air Mobility Force operated at surge for a period of weeks, it was able to meet all of the operational tasks asked of it. Increases in the number of available A400Ms over the next few years will see that capacity increase further.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will include people in Afghanistan who have been previously funded by the Cultural Protection Fund in the selection criteria for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme.

James Heappey: Under Categories 1-2 of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy only current or former Locally Employed Staff that were employed by Her Majesty's Government (HMG) or who were contracted to provide linguistic services in support of UK Armed Forces would be considered eligible for relocation to the UK.There is some discretion under Category 4 of the ARAP to consider, on a case-by-case and exceptional basis, those who worked in meaningful enabling roles alongside HMG, in extraordinary and unconventional contexts, and where a responsible HMG unit builds a credible case for consideration under the scheme.Individuals may also be eligible for the Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) when it becomes available. Through the ACRS, the UK will relocate up to 20,000 people at risk, including women and girls and minority groups, so they can rebuild their lives in safety. The scheme is not yet open and remains under development.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2021 to Question 44193 on Afghanistan: Refugees, how many of the of the 981 locally employed staff that were relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme during August 2021 were (a) Ministry of Defence locally employed civilians with LSU numbers, (b) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office local staff, (c) Afghan National Security Forces personnel and (d) other personnel.

James Heappey: In total the UK evacuated around 15,000 people from Afghanistan between 15 and 29 August. Over 1,000 British troops, including soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade, airlifted to safety an average of 1,000 people a day. Of the 15,000 people, up to 5,000 were Afghan Locally Employed Staff (LES) and their dependants relocated under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and around 8,000 were British Nationals and their families. The balance were largely Third Country Nationals.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Government department is responsible for building a credible case for Afghan nationals who (a) were previously employed by the National Directorate of Security and (b) are applying for assistance under Category Four of the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme.

James Heappey: There is some discretion under Category 4 of the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy to consider, on a case-by-case and exceptional basis, those who worked in meaningful enabling roles alongside Her Majesty's Government, in extraordinary and unconventional contexts. In such circumstances it is the responsibility of the Department that worked closest with the individual applicant in question to build a credible case for consideration under the scheme.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Answer of 3 November 2021 to Question 904085, whether arrangements are in place to ensure that EU citizens who are in receipt of benefits when they apply to the EU settlement scheme do not have their benefits withdrawn on the grounds of their immigration status during the processing of their application.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Housing Allowance

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2021 to Question 65363, what estimate her Department has made of the number of tenants in the private rented sector whose benefit entitlement will be reduced as a result of Local Housing Allowance rates being maintained for a further 12 month period.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2021 to Question 65363, on Local Housing Allowance, what estimate she has made of the saving to the public purse of the Government's decision not to increase Local Housing Allowance rates back at the 30th percentile.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2021 to Question 65363, on Local Housing Allowance, whether her Department has plans to introduce a Targeted Affordability Fund to mitigate the impact of maintaining Local Housing Allowance for 2022-23 at the elevated cash rates agreed for 2020-21.

David Rutley: Since 2011, we have provided over £1 billion in Discretionary Housing Payments to local authorities for households who need extra help with their housing costs. The decision on Local Housing Allowance rates for 2022/23 will be confirmed at the uprating review in due course. There are no plans to introduce targeted affordability funding. The baseline for costings is that rates will be maintained at the elevated cash rates agreed for 2020/21, an investment which cost around £1 billion per year. This means maintaining rates in cash terms would not provide any savings for the Department, nor would it reduce any claimant’s benefit entitlement.

Pensions: Fraud

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the announcement of 8 November 2021 on preventing pension scams, what estimate she has made of the impact on the number of referrals to MoneyHelper for mandatory guidance once the new rules come into force; and whether additional resources have been allocated to MoneyHelper for that purpose.

Guy Opperman: The legislation will fully come into force on the 30 November. We anticipate that accurate data will become available after this point. It is the Departments intention to monitor the volumes of referrals to MoneyHelper and include this in the review of the regulations I have committed to carry out within 18 months of them coming into force having worked closely with the Money and Pension Service.

National Insurance

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that all holders of a Turkish Businessperson Visa applying for a National Insurance number are granted it within 16 weeks of submitting their online application and CA5400D form.

Guy Opperman: The National Insurance Number (NINo) interviewing service was suspended from 17th of March 2020 as a result of COVID-19. Since fully re-opening on 28th April 2021, we have been experiencing high demand for the NINo Service. Additional staff have been recruited and trained in the NINo process to reduce backlogs. Whilst we are advising applicants it may take up to 16 weeks to process their application, the majority are being dealt with in around 4-6 weeks, however some may take longer if additional checks are required.Additionally, we reviewed the National Insurance number process for Turkish Businesspersons and introduced a more streamlined process for this group on 9th June 2021.

National Insurance

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the processing time for National Insurance number applications is 16 weeks; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce that processing time.

Guy Opperman: The National Insurance Number (NINo) interviewing service was suspended from 17th of March 2020 as a result of COVID-19. Since fully re-opening on 28th April 2021, we have been experiencing high demand for the NINo Service. Additional staff have been recruited and trained in the NINo process to reduce backlogs. Whilst we are advising applicants it may take up to 16 weeks to process their application, the majority are being dealt with in around 4-6 weeks, however some may take longer if additional checks are required.

Employment and Support Allowance

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 25 October 2021 to Question 57146 on Employment Support Allowance (ESA), what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) ESA decision makers apply hardship payments where appropriate for individuals whose ESA has been temporarily suspended while investigations into capital allowance are ongoing and (b) training of ESA decision makers on the role of hardship payments.

Chloe Smith: Decisions about whether suspending payment would cause hardship are made on a case by case basis by considering the circumstances of the claimant at the point that suspension becomes an option. This would only arise after a claimant has been given the opportunity to resolve the doubt that has arisen in relation to their entitlement or award and not done that. Decision makers are trained to be fully conversant with all legislation and guidance in relation to all aspects of Decision Making, including hardship. There are quality assurance frameworks to ensure that there are consistent national standards in the decision-making process.

Pensioners: Government Assistance

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to provide additional financial support to pensioners during winter 2021-22.

Guy Opperman: Last year despite negative earnings growth and low inflation of 0.5% the Government took action to provide vital peace of mind to pensioners regarding their financial security. Consequently, the basic and new State Pension rates were increased in April 2021 by 2.5% meaning the full yearly basic State Pension is over £2,050 a year higher than in 2010, in cash terms. In addition, the Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee was also increased to match the cash equivalent in the basic State Pension. Pension Credit remains a vital support to pensioners on a low income. We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million. Councils have the discretion and flexibility to develop a local delivery approach that best fits the scheme’s objectives, with support primarily used to support households in the most need with food, energy, fuel, digital and water bills. Up to 50% of the fund is available for councils to use on households without children, including those of state pension age. In addition, we will continue to support pensioners by making winter fuel payments of £200 to those households with someone of state pension age and under 80 and £300 to those households with someone aged 80 or over. Cold weather payments are also available to those in receipt of Pension Credit. The Warm Home Discount Scheme operated by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ensures that those in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit receive a rebate of £140 on their energy bill.

Universal Credit

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2021 to Question 62643 on Universal Credit, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the universal credit assessment period and payment structure; and what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Court of Appeal Judgement of  22 November 2020 [2020] EWCA Civ 778.

David Rutley: The Department has no plans to change either Universal Credit assessment periods or payment structures. They are fundamental parts of the design, reflecting payment patterns in the world of work, where the majority of people are paid monthly. Ensuring similarities between paid employment and receiving benefits eliminates an important barrier which could prevent claimants from adjusting to paid employment. The Court of Appeal judgment in the case of Johnson and others, handed down on 22 June 2020, ruled that the way the Department calculated Universal Credit awards involving earnings in an assessment period was a correct application of the regulations, but that the Department’s position of not considering the impact on the small number of specific cases of those paid calendar monthly who are affected by ‘a non-banking day salary shift’ should change. The Court of Appeal Judgment was narrowly focussed on calendar monthly paid claimants who are affected by a ‘non-banking day salary shift’ resulting in two payments being counted in one assessment period, none in another and the loss of a work allowance. The legislation changes we made to remedy these cases came into force on 16th November 2020 and allow us to move one of these monthly payments to the assessment period where there is none. Moving an additional four-weekly payment from the assessment period with two payments would not have the same effect, but would simply mean there would be two payments in a different assessment period.

Kickstart Scheme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many referrals from Job Centre work coaches have been made to the Kickstart Scheme; and how many of those referrals were people classified as being disabled.

Mims Davies: As of 9th November, there have been 2,203,000 referrals made by Work Coaches of young people onto the Kickstart Scheme. Young people on the Kickstart Scheme can be referred to multiple Kickstart jobs and several young people can be referred to each job. We are unable to break these referrals down to those with a disability and those without as the information is not currently collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. This is due to data being contained across multiple systems and being provided voluntarily, meaning it would require a significant level of gathering and quality assurance. However, we do plan to track the success of Kickstart amongst young people on the scheme who have a disability or health condition and will do this as part of the scheme’s evaluation. The evaluation will include surveys to capture the views and experiences of Kickstart participants. It will look at their experiences within their Kickstart job and track changes in views, attitudes and employment status. We will publish the evaluation once it has been completed. Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people have undertaken work placements under the Kickstart scheme or other similar programmes as part of the Plan for Jobs.

Mims Davies: The Kickstart Scheme supports eligible young people at risk of long term unemployment, regardless of disadvantage or disability. Mechanisms that record the number of disabled young people participating were not included within the initial design of Kickstart, however disability status is recorded on the wider Universal Credit systems. We are unable to provide information on the number of jobseekers with disabilities who are participating on the Kickstart Scheme or similar programmes as a part of the plan for jobs. This is because the information is not currently collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. This is due to data being contained across multiple systems and in some cases being provided voluntarily, meaning it would require a significant level of gathering and quality assurance. The Department of Work and Pensions plans to track the success of Kickstart amongst young people on the scheme including those who have a disability or health condition as part of the evaluation. We will publish the evaluation once it has been completed.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Ash Dieback Disease

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of ash trees felled in the last period for which data is available.

Rebecca Pow: Most parts of the country are now experiencing the impacts of ash tree decline, although the speed and severity of the disease is variable at a local level. The Government does not collect data on the number of ash trees that have been felled, including those affected by ash dieback, but of the 2700 applications approved to date in 2021, the Forestry Commission has recorded 1564 felling licence applications containing ash (as a tree species planned for felling). This is very similar to the felling licence application figures for 2020.The felling licences approved in 2020, and which contain ash as a tree species, cover just under 20,000 hectares of land, including land outside woodland, and contain an estimated 950,000 m3 of timber, and this is approved for felling within the next five to ten years, depending on the length of the felling licence.Where appropriate, approved felling licences carry legally enforceable restocking conditions to ensure any trees felled are replaced using suitable means and to ensure tree and woodland cover is maintained for future generations.

Climate Change: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the impact on the North East environment & food production of global warming of (a) 1.5 per cent, (b) 1.8 per cent, (c) 2.4 per cent and (d) 4 per cent.

Jo Churchill: I have assumed the question is asking about warming above pre-industrial levels of 1.5, 1.8, 2.4 and 4 degrees C, rather than percentage change. The Climate Change Committee's (CCC) Climate Risk Independent Assessment (statutory advice to Government) was published in June 2021. It provides detailed insight into risks and opportunities to the UK, focusing on the impacts of 2 and 4 degrees of global warming. The assessment has identified 61 risks and opportunities, 18 of which are for the natural environment, including domestic food production. The CCC's assessment does not break down risks to below a national scale. Adaptation action must however be considered at a local scale to account for local differences in climate impacts. This is a research priority and we are working closely with the scientific community to better understand local risks, alongside developing and improving climate services to allow government, businesses, and communities to take the steps necessary for enhancing resilience. More broadly, the UK Climate Projections provide the most up-to-date assessment of how the UK climate may change in the future. In 2018, the Met Office Hadley Centre released the latest set of Defra commissioned UK Climate Projections (UKCP18). The UKCP18 local climate projections were launched in 2019 and have a horizontal spatial resolution of 2.2km. These projections will be available to inform future UK Climate Change Risk Assessments, providing the most detailed ever local level data for the UK.

Water Treatment

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of mined coal required annually for water filtration purposes.

Rebecca Pow: Coal-derived substances are used in water quality treatment processes and in other filtration devices. My department has not made an estimate of the amount of mined coal required annually for this purpose.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment of 20 October 2021, Official Report, Column 843, if he will publish the methodology used in calculating that ending sewage outflows would cost up to £660 billion.

Rebecca Pow: The figures referred to were from draft findings of the Storm Overflows Evidence Project, which was commissioned by the Storm Overflows Taskforce (made up of a range of active stakeholders in this sector). The final report considers a wide range of policies and scenarios with their respective cost and impact on customer bills, including the upper bound figure of £600 billion to separate the combined sewer network. This research was an independent report, conducted by Stantec, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/storm-overflows-evidence-projectThe report contains detailed methodology of how it arrived at its initial conclusions and the government will consider its findings carefully, alongside other recommendations from the Storm Overflows Taskforce.

Home Office

Refugees: Afghanistan

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when each Afghan national who arrived in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, Operation Pitting and the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme will be awarded Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Victoria Atkins: Following the policy statement, the Government published on 13 September, we will be working through the cases of those who have recently arrived from Afghanistan and will be processing them in line with the published policy.The Home Office is contacting those here in the UK in order to assist them to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain status.No one will be required to leave the United Kingdom, or be disadvantaged in any way, while we work through their cases.More information can be found in the Afghanistan Resettlement and Immigration Policy Statementhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement-accessible-version#afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy

Trade Unions: Protection

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what engagement her Department has with (a) the FDA, (b) the BMA, (c) the NUJ and (d) other trade union bodies on protections for public officials and prominent persons.

Damian Hinds: Government is firmly committed to the safety and security of all of those in public life and beyond. We must work together to challenge, report, and tackle intimidating and abusive behaviour wherever it occurs.The Government will continue to work with a wide range of partners - including trade unions, regulators, civil society, social media companies, policing and prosecution authorities, and MPs - to do so.

Pensions: Police

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that police officers are not discriminated against within the new Police Pension Scheme.

Kit Malthouse: The government is committed to ensuring good public service pension provision, but this has to be affordable and sustainable in the long term.The main public sector pension schemes – including the police pension scheme – were reformed following the recommendations of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission, resulting in the introduction of the 2015 schemes.The government is taking steps to remove discrimination on the grounds associated with the transitional protection arrangements, identified by the courts during the McCloud and Sargeant litigation. Eligible members will be offered a choice of scheme benefits for the remedy period for those in scope of the remedy and, from 1 April 2022, when the remedy period ends, all those in service in main unfunded schemes will be members of the reformed pension schemes, ensuring equal treatment from that point on. The government believes this is the most appropriate and proportionate way of ending the age discrimination identified.The 2015 police pension scheme and the other reformed schemes are some of the most valuable available in the UK: backed by the taxpayer; index-linked; and offering guaranteed benefits on retirement; comparing very favourably to the typical private sector scheme.

Money Laundering

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) investigations, (b) arrests, (c) disruptions, (d) prosecutions and (e) convictions have been undertaken by the National Crime Agency in relation to money laundering and other economic crime in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds: Information on the National Crime Agency’s investigative activity over the past five years, is contained in the Agency's statutory Annual Reports for the years in question. These are available at www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk

Refugees: Afghanistan

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues on opening the Afghan citizens' resettlement scheme; and what estimate she has made of the date on which that scheme will open to applicants.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Secretary continues to meet regularly with Ministers to discuss the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the wider response to events in Afghanistan.The scheme is not yet open and remains under development, given the complex and challenging situation in Afghanistan. However, the first to be resettled through this scheme will be some of those who arrived in the UK as a result of the evacuation (Operation Pitting), which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk – including women’s rights activists, prosecutors and journalists.Further information on the eligibility, prioritisation and referral of people for the ACRS is set out in the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement

National Crime Agency: Finance

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the budget was for the National Crime Agency's Civil Recovery Team in each of the last five years.

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff there were in the National Crime Agency's Civil Recovery Team in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds: The NCA deals with a number of civil recovery investigations utilising staff from a range of departments including investigations, legal and intelligence.For this reason, the budget is not specifically determinable in relation to solely civil recovery work. How many staff deal with civil recovery at any one time is, of course, not constant and is tailored to those opportunities as they are tasked.

Domestic Abuse

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to include (a) a legal interest in a property and (b) shared children as a defined personal connection of a victim of domestic violence under Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015.

Rachel Maclean: Domestic abuse is abhorrent and we are determined to better protect and support the victims of abuse and their children, and bring perpetrators to justice. This government is committed to tackling domestic abuse, which is why we recently passed the landmark Domestic Abuse Act. Alongside this, we will publish a domestic abuse strategy that will go beyond the implementation of the Act to help transform our response to domestic abuse; to prevent offending, protect victims and ensure they have the support they need.Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 defines the parents of the same child as falling under the definition of ‘personally connected’ when they live together.In the Domestic Abuse Act, which received Royal Assent on 29 April, the definition of “personally connected” includes where two people each have, or there has been a time when they each have had, a parental relationship in relation to the same child, regardless of whether they live together. Given this we would not look to amend Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015.It is the personal connection between the perpetrator and victim that is central to the nature of domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is a complex type of abuse that sees a unique power and control dynamic that is affected by the emotional bond between perpetrator and victim.Therefore, we would not consider extending the definition of ‘personally connected’ to include cases where a victim and a perpetrator are only connected by sharing a legal interest in a property, because this in itself would not constitute the basis for personal connection without the other elements that have been fully defined in the DA act.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ensure the development of an expert-informed public awareness campaigns on violence against women in the forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.

Rachel Maclean: In July we published the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere - at home, online and on the streets.The new strategy commits this government to using communications to create behaviour change that targets and challenge perpetrators, educates young people about healthy relationships and consent, and ensures victims can recognise abuse and non-contact sexual offending.The Strategy was informed by an unprecedented 180,000 responses from the general public and stakeholders as part of our Call for Evidence. As we develop the campaign, we are continuing to consult stakeholders, including third sector organisations, academics and victims’ services to ensure their expertise, insights and experience are reflected in the campaign.

Crimes of Violence

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the data she holds on the number of people reporting offences under the Offences against The Person Act 1861, section 23, and section 24 in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: Information on the number of crimes recorded under the Offences against The Person Act 1861 section 23 and section 24, including the offence subcodes “Administering poison so as to endanger life” and “Administering poison with intent to injure or annoy” for each financial year from 2015/16 to 2020/21 can be found in the attached annex.Annex (xlsx, 13.9KB)

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing: Insulation

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2021 to Question 69091 on Housing: Insulation, of the 27 homes of which Homes England received less than the equity loan originally lent, what the (a) mean and (b) median difference was between the loan that was lent and the amount that was paid back.

Christopher Pincher: Regarding the 27 homes in relation to which Homes England received less than the equity loan originally lent, Homes England responded to a more recent Request for Information (dated 10 Sept 21) in which 36 schemes were identified. On these 36 schemes, Homes England calculate the mean and median to be:Mean: £13,234Median: £6,500

Housing: Insulation

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2021 to Question 69091 on Housing: Insulation, what estimate he has made of the number of homes with outstanding help to buy loans that are affected by non-ACM cladding.

Christopher Pincher: Information on the number of Help to Buy equity loan properties with unsafe ACM cladding can be found in the National Audit Office's report entitled Investigation into remediating dangerous cladding on high-rise buildings, which is available at: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Investigation-into-remediating-dangerous-cladding-on-high-rise-buildings.pdf.

Building Safety Fund

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2021 to Question 58300 on the Building Safety Fund, when he plans to publish the text of the funding agreement required by the Building Safety Fund.

Christopher Pincher: We will publish the Grant Funding Agreement for the Building Safety Fund shortly.

Affordable Housing: Private Rented Housing

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Affordable Homes Programme on the buy-to-let sector.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy in the level of building of new social housing; and if he will make new social housing building part of his Department's levelling up agenda.

Christopher Pincher: Since 2010, we have delivered over 542,400 new affordable homes, including over 382,300 affordable homes for rent, of which over 149,400 homes for social rent. New social housing is a key priority for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.   As part of our drive to level up, we are keen to see affordable homes built right across the country, supporting all communities. Sixty-five per cent of the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 is due to go to regions of England outside of London, up from 55% in the 2016-23 Programme.   To ensure Social Rent homes are built where they are most needed, we have changed the rules for Social Rent making grant available for it right across the country and provided additional funding to deliver Social Rent homes in local authority areas where affordability pressures are highest.

Regional Planning and Development

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he made (a) oral and (b) written requests to any hon. Members that were expressed as conditions of departmental support for levelling up bids in their constituencies.

Neil O'Brien: No.

Finance

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether (a) he and (b) his Ministerial colleagues informed hon. Members that funding for their constituency via the (i) Levelling Up Fund, (ii) Community Renewal Fund and (iii) Community Ownership Fund was dependent on how they voted on the Committee of Standards motion before the House of Commons on 3 November 2021.

Neil O'Brien: No.

Cabinet Office

Imports: Supply Chains

Helen Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Answer of 29 October 2021 to Question 63799 on Imports, if he will publish his Department's analysis that led to the conclusion that delays at UK ports for inbound goods are caused by other issues connected to the current situation with global supply chains.

Michael Ellis: The basis for this conclusion - that delays are not caused by import controls following Brexit - is that these import controls are not yet in force.

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people and organisations were signed up to receive email alerts from his Department's Brexit checker website as of 1 November 2021.

Michael Ellis: The Brexit Checker was launched in August 2019 and is designed to help users get personalised information on how Brexit may affect them and their business, and what actions they need to take to adapt to new rules. As of 1 November 2021, there were a total number of 346,770 unique email addresses signed up to receive updates via the Brexit Checker. To meet changing user needs, which have shifted from general interest in rule changes (served by gov.uk/brexit and the Brexit Checker) to information on specific tasks and topics based on their situation, GDS has also developed Brexit “hub” pages for businesses, individuals, and families. These provide more targeted entry points for users to find relevant information on key business areas affected by Brexit.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has met the National Foresight Group to discuss their reports on the Government response to covid-19 and the recommendations made in those reports.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken in response to the recommendations from the Interim Operational Reviews of the Covid-19 National Foresight Group.

Michael Ellis: Government Ministers and officials working on the response to COVID-19 regularly meet with a range of stakeholder groups to learn from them and to consider their recommendations.The Government’s decision-making has always, and will continue to be, guided by the relevant data, science and evidence available at that time.The Government is reviewing the recommendations from the C19 National Foresight Group Interim Operational Reviews and is also considering the findings from the Lincolnshire Interim Operational Review - also published by the group.

Emergencies: Planning

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the readiness of each local resilience forum to respond to future emergencies.

Michael Ellis: Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) have well established plans to respond to emergencies and routinely review their preparedness. The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA), and the associated Regulations, place statutory duties on Category 1 responders (those organisations at the core of the response to most emergencies including the emergency services, local authorities, NHS bodies) to conduct risk assessments and maintain emergency plans. Duties under the CCA rest with responders but can be exercised through the LRF. The Cabinet Office's Civil Contingencies Secretariat has developed National Resilience Standards for LRFs which are intended to establish a consistent and progressive means for LRFs and their constituent local responder organisations to: assure their capabilities, assure their overall level of readiness, and guide continuous improvement against mandatory requirements. The Department for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities have a network of regionally-based resilience advisers who offer support and challenge to LRFs on their preparedness for the range of emergencies that could occur in their respective local areas.

Department for International Trade

Shipping: Exports

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 will affect the proposed establishment of a Maritime Capability Campaign Office.

Mike Freer: I refer the hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire North to the answer given to my hon. Friend for Harrow East on the 8th of November, UIN: 68231.

Overseas Trade: Climate Change

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the role of trade policy in helping to tackle climate change.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she has discussed the role of trade policy in helping to tackle climate change with the Welsh Government.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: We are supporting climate change objectives by using trade policy to facilitate the uptake and spread of low carbon goods and services, addressing market distorting practices, reaffirming the United Kingdom’s sovereign right to regulate and driving cooperation on trade and climate change issues through international forums. Close engagement and collaboration with all Devolved Administrations across the United Kingdom is important, including on environmental chapters and clauses. The Welsh Government is able to feed into trade negotiations at every stage of the process, and their contribution has directly shaped the development of British trade policy.

UK Trade with EU: Costs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of (a) trends in the costs of imports from and exports to the EU and (b) the effects on small businesses of those costs.

Penny Mordaunt: This information is publicly available and can be accessed here: ONS Business insights and impact on the UK economy survey Wave 42. On 1 October DIT launched the Export Support Service, which gives businesses across the UK one place to get answers to practical questions about exporting to Europe by using the digital service on GOV.UK or by phoning the helpline.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, (a) what sanctions apply to gambling companies which breach license terms by failing to remove self excluded people from marketing communications and (b) whether those sanctions will be increased as part of the upcoming Gambling White Paper.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will include steps to ban free bets and other inducements to gamble in the upcoming gambling White Paper.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Gambling Commission has taken to protect vulnerable gamblers in response to Sky Vegas’ breach of licence terms by failing to remove self-excluded people from marketing communications.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Gambling Commission on Sky Vegas or its parent company Flutter offering free spins to recovering addicts during Safer Gambling Week.

Chris Philp: The Gambling Commission requires operators to take steps to remove the name and details of self-excluded individuals from any marketing databases used by the company or on behalf of the company. Failure to do so is a breach of their licence conditions. If licence conditions are found to have been breached, the Commission has a range of sanctions available from issuing an official warning to imposing financial penalties or additional licence conditions, suspending a licence and revoking a licence. Ministers and officials in DCMS meet regularly with the Gambling Commission to discuss a range of regulatory issues, including investigatory and enforcement work.In the case of communications sent from Sky Vegas to self-excluded individuals on the 2nd November, the operator has reported itself to the Gambling Commission and taken immediate steps to prevent any further breaches. The Commission will carry out a thorough investigation and determine whether regulatory action should be taken.As part of our wide-ranging Review of the Gambling Act the government is looking closely at promotional offers and inducements offered by gambling operators, along with other forms of advertising and marketing and the Gambling Commission’s powers and resources. A White Paper setting out our next steps and proposals for reform will be published in due course.

Local Press: Access

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to local newspaper records.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to (a) digitise local newspaper records and (b) improve access to archives.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department provides for the digitalisation of local newspaper records.

Nigel Huddleston: Work on improving and maintaining access to local newspaper records and archives is led by colleagues at the British Library and The National Archives respectively, using funding from their core budgets.The British Library collects physical newspapers and online news sites under legal deposit. The additional work the British Library does in this area makes newspapers as accessible as possible at no cost to the taxpayer. It holds a newspaper collection of over 60 million issues (450 million pages) dating from 1619 to the present day, and since 2010 has been working on a strategy to preserve and protect newspapers for researchers and the general public. This includes working in partnership with Findmypast to produce the British Newspaper Archive (BNA), an online subscription resource enabling online access to historic digitised newspapers while creating preservation files for the British Library’s Digital Library Store. The BNA is free to access in British Library Reading Rooms.The task of digitising archived physical material is substantial, but progress is being made both through central projects, with c. 46 million pages digitised since 2011, and through partnerships between the British Library and local libraries such as Birmingham, Wexford, Jersey and Shropshire. Projects undertaken with local libraries and councils allow local services to benefit from the expertise of the British Library on a cost recovery basis (i.e. not for profit).In terms of improving access to archives, The National Archives has been delivering against its Archives Unlocked strategy since 2017. In order to achieve this, The National Archives works to support the Archives sector to develop digital capacity, build resilience and demonstrate impact through innovation and by building new audiences. Officials from The National Archives have collaborated with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the Culture is Digital project, to highlight where the archives sector can demonstrate leadership (such as digitisation) as well as develop and grow alongside other cultural bodies.

Art Works: Nigeria

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.

Nigel Huddleston: Museums and galleries in the UK operate independently of the government. Decisions relating to their collections are a matter for the trustees of each museum.National museums are prevented by law from “deaccessioning” objects in their collections unless, broadly, they are duplicates or unfit for retention. The two exceptions to this are when the objects are human remains that are less than 1000 years old, and objects that were spoliated during the Nazi-era.

Youth Services: Holiday Activities and Food Programme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of coordinating the provision of youth services with the Holiday and Food Activities Programme.

Nigel Huddleston: DCMS and the Department for Education work closely on the development of youth funding across the ministerial portfolios, including the Holiday and Food Activities Programme.

Cricket: Racial Discrimination

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to support victims of racist abuse within cricket.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to tackle racism within cricket.

Nigel Huddleston: There is no place for racism in sport or anywhere in society. I am extremely concerned by the recent reports of racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and welcome the steps taken by the ECB to launch an investigation into the matter. This must be transparent and swift, for the benefit of cricket. The ECB must carry out their investigation unhindered, but the Government will be monitoring the situation at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the ECB closely.The ECB has also launched the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, chaired by Cindy Butts, building on the work they have done across the game to increase diversity. The Azeem Rafiq case shows how much more needs to be done to stamp out racism in the game and the Government would urge anyone who has experienced discrimination to come forward with this.The forthcoming update of UK Sport and Sport England’s Code for Sports Governance will place an increased focus on diversity in decision making and ensuring that sports organisations reflect the community they serve. Sports receiving the most public funding will be required to agree a diversity and inclusion action plan with Sport England and UK Sport, which will be published and updated annually.

Broadband: North East

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timescale is for the (a) procurement and (b) connections for the regional supplier procurements for Durham and Northumberland.

Julia Lopez: As highlighted in our Project Gigabit Autumn Update, Durham, Tyneside and Teesside areas and Northumberland (Lots 4 and 34) are included in Phase 1a of Project Gigabit. These particular Lots will see procurement start as early as December 2021 before an estimated contract commencement date of November 2022.Furthermore, in North Northumberland and Teesdale in County Durham, we have incorporated two of the most challenging rural areas into Local Supplier procurements, designed to be attractive to rural specialists active in the area. These Local Supplier procurements have an estimated start date of December 2021 before an estimated contract commencement date of June 2022.

Young Audiences Content Fund

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to make a decision on whether to close, continue or expand the Young Audience Content Fund.

Julia Lopez: The Young Audiences Content Fund is a three-year pilot project due to end on 31 March 2022. As part of the pilot Contestable Fund programme, a full evaluation will determine its impact on the provision and plurality of public service content. A decision on its future will be announced in due course.

COP26

UN Climate Conference 2021: Shell

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the President of COP26, if he will invite representatives of Royal Dutch Shell to COP26.

Michael Ellis: The UK Presidency did not invite Shell under the UK Delegation. As COP26 Presidency, we are working to encourage the innovation and commitment of everyone – people, business, countries, cities and regions – as we move the global economy to net zero emissions. This includes a wide range of energy companies.The COP26 Presidency is working most closely with organisations that have strong climate credentials – that means companies who have committed to achieving net zero by 2050, have published a 5-10 year plan of action on how they will do this, and committed to Science Based Targets or joined the UN-backed Race to Zero.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to bring forward legislative proposals to end conversion therapy.

Mike Freer: The Government is currently consulting on our proposals to legislate for a ban on conversion therapy. The question is how, not whether, we will ban conversion therapy. The consultation runs until Friday 10 December and I would encourage anyone with an interest to respond.The consultation responses will be used to further refine the Government’s policy proposals on banning conversion therapy and inform the process of developing legislation. We will analyse the responses to the consultation and respond in the new year. We will prepare a Bill for Spring 2022, to be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows.